Ace Combat Zero - Birth of a Legend
by DemonLordGalm
Summary: 1995...four years before the fall of Ulysses...and the world is in peril. A war has sparked that would engulf the world...The Belkan War. And in that war, a warrior would be born, his skills superior to everyone around him, yet he is humble and cares for his friends and allies. See where it all started. Witness...the birth of a legend. FINISHED. Rated M
1. Prologue

A/N Hey guys! Its me again, and welcome back to another installment of Ace Combat! Like that epilogue at the end of the last story? Hehe, I've already got some of that future story planned out. (I changed some of the dates in this story because i needed to for story purposes). Let us begin, shall we?

Prologue

\- Near a Disputed Border -

\- August 25th, 2005 -

"Oh him? Yeah, I know him. It's going to take a while...it happened years ago." spoke the man as he leaned up on his assault rifle while sitting in the cheap metal chair, facing another man and a camera on a tripod.

He had some tobacco in his mouth, softly chewing on it between sentences while his hand hung off the clip of the assault rifle. A pair of dog tags hung around his neck inscribed with the initials L.F.

"Did you know...there are three kinds of aces?" he asked again before he held his hand up and counted them off with his fingers.

"Those who seek strength. Those who live for pride. And those who can read the tide of battle. Those are the three." he listed before he smirked and gnashed on the tobacco again.

"And him...he was a true ace." he spoke with a small nod before he looked away from the camera, the second man starting to speak into a microphone he had in his left hand, its cable connected to the camera.

He was a fighter pilot called by the name of "Solo Wing Pixy". He was a colleague of the man I seek.

Ten years ago, there was a war that engulfed the world. The Belkan War. And in that war was a pilot who trailed across the sky, and disappeared from history. He was a lone mercenary who inspired both fear and admiration.

He was the man I seek.

And so...with the words of "Solo Wing", the curtain rises.

"It was a cold and snowy day…"


	2. Glacial Skies

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! This is going to be a fun, since this is my favorite Ace Combat game ever, the second being a tie between Infinity and AC5. This is where it all began, let's see how Cipher first started out as a rookie pilot.

Chapter 1 - Glacial Skies

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

\- Valais Air Force Base, Republic of Ustio -

\- 020'04'08"N 239'31'24"E -

\- April 2nd, 1995 1300 hrs -

"Listen up! We have a situation on our hands. A major squadron of Belkan bombers has crossed our border and is making its way here, to Valais Air Force Base. Apparently, they intend to attack our base in an initiative to gain hegemony over the entire Republic of Ustio. Valais Air Force Base is our country's last line of defence. If our base falls, no one will be left to stop Belka from taking over Ustio. Your mission is to destroy the squad of bombers and defend our base. Belka's invasion must end here."

Multiple pilots sprang from the chairs and left the briefing room as soon as the base commander finished the briefing, eager to earn the day's pay.

All of them were mercenaries, drafted to fill up the gaping holes in the small Republic's air force after most of it was wiped out by their enemy, the legendary Belkan Air Force. This was but a small testamrnt of the power their enemy had. Even the super power of Osea, whose forces outnumbered Belka's ten to one, fell before the might of the B.A.F.

None of them would never guess that a bunch of lowly mercenaries would become this country's finest, especially two among them. One was a Belkan mercenary renowned across the Osean Continent. And the other..._he_ would later find out he held the power to change the war. Those two...would change everything.

Everything.

**\- GALM -**

**Ustio Air Force**

**6th Air Division, 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"It's starting to come down." spoke one of the pilots from his F-15C Eagle as he and his wingman flew over the white capped Tyrann Mountain range of Ustio, a couple of other squadrons flying right behind them.

His jet was pale white in color across his entire fighter except the right wing, which was painted blood red. This was the mercenary Larry Foulke, also known as "Solo Wing Pixy", for completing a mission and for successfully returning to base and landing his plane safely all with only one wing after the other had been blown off. Or on some occasions he he went simply by "Pixy".

The other though was an enigma. No one knew where he came from or who he really was. He just showed up unexpectedly and joined the ranks of mercenaries put into the Ustio 6th Air Division. Those two specifically were formed into the 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Galm", their symbol being a hellish looking devil dog with blood red fur, sharp teeth, a spiked collar and a flaming tail.

He flew an F-15C Eagle as well but with a white body and blue tipped wings, vertical stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers.

He was simply known by his call sign, "Cipher".

"This is Base Command. Guess all you boys managed to get up." reported Valais Air Force Base over their radios, the two mercenaries chuckling a little.

"We may be mercenaries but we can still fly a plane just like one of you military men." spoke Cipher jokingly.

"Galm 1, Galm 2, maintain present course." spoke Base Command, ignoring Cipher's joke.

"This is Galm 2, roger that." replied Larry nonchalantly as he rolled his eyes.

That's when the division's AWACS decided to make his debut, speaking in an organized and an all business attitude to the scrambled Ustio fighters.

"Bearing 315, Belkan Bombers approaching."

"Nobody wants to bail out into a mountain of ice. We're counting on you flight leader." spoke Larry up to their AWACS, receiving a curt chuckle.

"All units, prepare to intercept." spoke Base Command.

"You'd better have our pay ready and waiting, I'm itching to line my pockets with greenbacks." said Cipher eagerly as they changed course to the directed vector via their HUDs, taking them straight towards an intercept point with the enemy bombers.

"That's only if we both make it through this alive."

"Be ready to pay up. We'll be back before you know it." smirked Larry before the enemy bomber squadron appeared on their radars, protected by a decently sized squadron of fighters.

Easy pickings.

"Galm Team, shoot down all enemy bombers. Don't let them get to our base."

"This is Galm 1, roger. Hey Pixy, let's wreak some havoc." replied Cipher before he allowed Larry to break off to engage freely.

"Roger that. All those too scared to fly should go back to base and wait patiently with their tail between their legs." said Larry with a grin as he spun around and prepared to get his first kill of the day.

"You know, I've heard stories about you Cipher. That pride's gonna get you killed you know." said one of the other mercenaries flying with them.

Cipher merely grinned as he did a barrel roll while simultaneously arming some XLAAs.

"Bah, I think nothing of it. Try telling that to the last squadron that tried to screw with me and my friends." said Cipher, the memory of the pilot single handedly shooting down a eight man squadron, undergunned and outmatched, returning to their minds. He was instantly granted the status of ace after that feat.

What's ironic about it was that was his first combat mission, a simple reconnaissance flight turned dogfight to the death when a squadron of twelve Belkan fighters fell upon him and Pixy, the only two pilots assigned to that mission. Let's just say they were the only ones who survived that little encounter.

"Enemy squadron in sight. Engage." ordered AWACs, Cipher smirking before he braked a little then swung left to go straight at the incoming enemy air squadron, Pixy and the other mercenaries right behind him.

"Larry, you're free to engage, special weapons permitted. Let's show these Belkan bastards who's in control of these skies."

"Roger that Cipher!" said Larry with a grin as the first couple of bombers and fighters appeared on their HUDs.

Cipher swung his plane upside down a fired two missiles straight at the first two bombers of the Belkan formation, the pilots trying to maneuver out of the way at the very last second. But alas, their BM-335 Bombers were consumed in fire as the missiles struck their fuselages and exploded. Larry swung around their burning carcasses and sent a burst of gunfire at a Belkan fighter who was close by and strafed its wing.

"Bag 'em!" said Cipher when Larry blew past the Belkan and spun himself around to shoot down the fighter, the two mercenaries scoring the first kills of the entire operation.

"That bomber looks ancient." said one of the other mercenaries when they joined Galm and looked down to see the falling metal frame of the bomber.

"Looks like Galm's gonna steal the show again."

"Only because you allow us too." said Cipher with a snicker as they sped away from their allies to go after a new set of kills.

"This is Otto 5. IFF is out of commission, we're unable to carry out duty. Withdrawing from operation airspace." reported one of the Belkan bombers up ahead before it started to turn away from its flight to head back to Belka.

"One of the bombers has left the battlefront. He must've chickened out."

"Let's shoot him down."

"Ah let him be. Focus on the mission at hand." said Cipher casually as he downed a Belkan fighter trying to pursue him.

"Damn, those Belkan bastards have the guts to try and finish us off with a bunch of ancient bombers and some F-5Es? That's just plain rude to be honest." said Larry as some gunfire from one of the bombers swept past him, the unfortunate bomber paying for the action soon after when he obliterated its wing with single missile.

"I'm gonna earn every last penny being offered for today's mission." said a mercenary as he shot down a Belkan F-5E then moved on to the next.

"Not today gentlemen. I'm claiming the most money today! Fox three!" laughed Cipher as he let loose three XLAAs and smirked when they hit their marks, three bombers breaking apart and going down in flames.

"Stay close to the bombers. Don't stray from their sides." ordered a Belkan pilot as their remaining fighter jets returned to their bomber's flank to guard them.

"Those escort fighters are well trained. They're not taking the bait." said a mercenary from his squadron, who were trying to bait the Belkan fighters away from their bombers so they could pick them off one by one.

"They're only Belkans, nothing to get too nervous about." said Larry with a smirk.

"I know right? These guys are easy pickings." said Cipher with a grin as he picked off an escort fighter before setting his eyes on another bomber.

His grin disappeared when the bomber was engulfed in flames and Larry flew past him, laughter echoing out from his end of the radio.

"Gotta step up your game if you wanna get top ace today!" he said, sparking a fire inside Cipher that sent him straight into the zone.

"Alright then Pixy. Bring it!" he said eagerly as he sped after his wingman and blew past him, making short work of the two fighters Larry was planning to shoot down.

"Fighter on our tail! Gun him down!" ordered a bomber pilot as its tail-gunners started to blanket the skies with bullets, Cipher chuckling as he weaved through the storm effortlessly before he dove down at the bomber.

He strafed it's right wing with his gun and swerved away as the bullets ripped the wing right off the fuselage, the metal frame falling past Cipher's cockpit as he swerved away from the bomber and fired two missiles into the belly of another flying close by, the BM-335 erupting into flames.

"Send those Belkans running back to their own country!"

"Come on Cipher, leave some for the rest of us!" complained one of the mercenaries as Cipher slaughtered the enemy bombers and fighters that got in his way, Larry just trying to keep up in his chaos inducing course through the enemy squadron.

"Three bombers left. Take 'em out!" ordered Eagle Eye as the mercenaries swarmed the remaining planes, each of them trying to outdo the other and earn more money to line their pockets.

Pretty soon there was only one bomber left, and every mercenary in the air had their sights on it like a pack of wolves eyeing their next meal.

"It's mine!"

"I saw it first!"

A swarm of missiles lanced out from every pilot and the bomber, unfortunetly for its crew, was totally obliterated from tail to cockpit, its fuselage trailing fire and smoke.

"I think I got that one, sorry boys." said Larry as he leaned back in his flight seat after joining up with Cipher.

"Nah, I think we _all_ got him. Good god I think those Belkans shit their pants twice when they saw how many missiles were coming at them." chuckled Cipher while the other mercenaries laughed with him.

"Base Command to the Galm Team. The enemy attack unit has been successfully intercepted. I'd like to see how those Belkan cowards report back to their superiors."

"Hey Cipher." called out Larry as he and Cipher turned towards the direction of Valais Air Base to lead their mercenary friends back home.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I think you and I are gonna get along just fine...Buddy." said Larry with a smile while Cipher mulled over the nickname for a minute before chuckling to himself.

"Buddy...heh, yeah. Let's get back to base, Buddy."

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- 020'04'08"N 239'31'24"E -

\- April 2nd, 1995 1330 hrs -

"Galm Team you have permission to land." spoke the control tower as Cipher and Larry lowered their landing gear and approached the airbase stationed in the Tyrann Mountains in northern Ustio.

'It all started on that snowy day. My first impression was...he had potential.'

"Drinks are on me tonight boys! To the bar!" announced Cipher as he leaped out of his fighter and sprinted towards the main building of the fairly large airbase.

Larry watched and chuckled as the other Ustio mercenaries ran after him, a grin staying constantly on his face before he shrugged and joined in on the mad dash towards the bar.

"What do you think sir?" asked the Base Commander to a man standing beside him as they watched the mercenaries go for the bar to enjoy themselves after a successful mission.

"Those two...who are they?" asked the man about the two mercenaries who stood out above the rest.

"That's the Galm Team sir, Larry Foulke and Cipher." said the Base Commander as he glanced at him.

"Is there something wrong Mr. Hibrachen?"

Hibrachen crossed his arms over his black coat and suit and tie, thinking for a second as he watched Cipher's and Larry's F-15Cs get towed towards one of the base's hangars and shook his head.

"No...but I think those two, no...all of them...are going to become our greatest assets in this war."

\- Thanks to you, Belka's attack on Valais Air Base has failed, allowing us to breath easy for a short while. Your efforts will not go unrewarded. Your actions may very well decide who wins the Belkan War. I, for one, will be counting on you.

'The Belkan War is shrouded in mystery. But now, a decade after the peace accords, a portion of the records was finally released. I quickly got ahold of it. Wanting more details, I acquired information from unknown sources. There was a reason for my obsession. The roots of the war lie in the Belkan federal law review that took place in 1988. Belka, suffering from economic strife, permitted its eastern territory to secede...and the Republic of Ustio was born. But Belka's economic troubles did not subside. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, the world superpower Osea continued to flourish. Amidst the economic panic, an extreme right wing party took power within Belka, aiming to restore strength and stability to the nation. And on March 25th, 1995, with the discovery of natural resources in Ustio, Belka began to invade its neighbors. It was the beginning of the Belkan War.'

**ACE COMBAT ZERO - BIRTH OF A LEGEND**

'Unprepared, each country fell quickly before the might of the legendary Belkan Air Force. In just a few days, they occupied all territories except for the mountain range. In response, the occupied Ustio government military, placed all their hopes on a join operation between Osea, Sapin, and foreign mercenary forces. This of course can be found in any history book. But I noticed a strange similarity in the materials I gathered. There were several accounts about a mercenary, all followed by the nickname "Demon Lord". But most of the information was incomplete. Still, I was intrigued. I decided to pursue the history of the Belkan War though this mercenary. I was certain I would find something there. Would it be the hidden truth behind the war? Or just another battlefield legend? I wasn't able to meet the mercenary himself. Actually, it's questionable if he ever did exist. But thanks to some old friends in the military, I was able to track down several individuals who knew him. "Solo Wing" is one such man.


	3. Annex

A/N And so begins the Belkan War. Just a reminder for those who do not know or if you do, since he was a minor character near the end of my Ace Combat 5 fanfiction (Retribution of a Demon), Hibrachen is Maxwell Hibrachen, the current President of Ustio during that time and during the Circum-Pacific War.

Chapter 2 - Annex

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

Cipher and Larry were the first to enter the briefing room after their training flight just minutes before. They took seats by one another on the right side of the table and waited with the Base Commander, who was going to brief them yet again for today's mission, for the rest of the mercenaries to show up.

After a few minutes, the others appeared and they all took their seats as the room darkened and the Base Commander powered up their briefing software, made by Axe &amp; Hammer Precisions Instrument Industry.

"We must regain control over Route 171, which runs through Arlon, to secure a transit route for our ground troops. There are bridges along this route, three over the Aare River. All heavily guarded by the Belkan Armored Corps. Securing this route is critical to Ustio's attack on the Belkan Forces."

"Are we the only forces being sent on this mission?" asked Cipher with the raise of a hand, the Base Commander replying with a nod.

"Correct. Destroy the Belkan ground units blocking passage along this route and secure this supply line between our forces and the Osean and Sapinish Armies. Whoever gets the most kills of course will be rewarded with a bonus. Dismissed."

They exited the briefing room and they hustled out of the base, laughing and pushing eachother around as they went for their fighters to try and be the first ones in the air. Cipher and Larry were the first ones and they taxied out onto the runway first, with the former being given clearance first.

"Galm 1, you are cleared for takeoff."

"Thanks CT, see you on the flip-side." said Cipher as he saluted the control tower from his cockpit before he hurtled down the runway and took off into the air, Larry coming up behind him to form their squadron.

"Galm Team, altitude restrictions cancelled. Good luck!"

\- Arlon, Sapin -

\- 014'47'46"N 234'27'58"E -

\- April 15th, 1995 1020 hrs -

The mercenaries flew over Sapin land as they approached their targets, the Belkan armored units station on three bridges over the Aare river. Cipher and Larry, of course, was leading the pack and would be the first to find their first prey.

"This is AWACS Eagle Eye to Galm. The targets are in formation along the highway. Commence the operation."

"Roger AWACS. Alright people, let's do this by the book. We'll go from one to the next. Wyoming, go high and take out any fighters, Gizmo, you're with them. Me and Cipher will go low and take out the ground targets. Got it?" said Larry before their respective squadrons broke apart and went to their assignments.

"Got your UGBs ready Cipher?" he asked after rolling over Cipher's plane to his right side.

"Ready and waiting. Let's roast these suckers." said Cipher with a grin as the first of the targets popped up on his HUD.

"Targets are in formation along the highway. Destroy them all." spoke Eagle Eye to the mercenary pilots as the operation began.

'Dropping one!" called out Cipher as an AA gun fell into the pipper marker on his HUD.

A UGB fell from his plane and fell through the air, picking up speed every second, before it crashed down on the enemy AA gun and obliterated it.

Larry took out the SAM vehicle close by to its ally and the two continued on to the road.

"Did those fighters come from Ustio?!" sputtered a Belkan soldier before his armored personnel carrier was struck by a missile from Cipher, incinerating everyone inside.

"They must be in desperate situation. But there's no way we're giving up this place."

"Engaging enemy fighters. Bring it on you Belkan dogs!" challenged a mercenary pilot as they engaged a couple of Belkan MIG-21s above Route 171's first bridge.

"This is Ustio's lifeline. We'll get it back." said Larry as he bombed the hell out of a Belkan tank while Cipher killed two more with a bomb of his own.

"First bridge clear, move on to the next." said Eagle Eye as he confirmed their kills on radar.

"Roger." replied Cipher as he and Larry moved on to the next bridge along the winding road through the countryside in northern Sapin.

Their allies, by that time, had shot down the Belkan fighters with their superior Osean provided F-14A Tomcats and F-16C Falcons and were moving along the route with them. Halfway down the path however, Larry spotted a group of houses off the road and frowned.

"Those houses are probably full of Belkan supplies. Better not take any chances." said Larry as he armed his missiles and turned towards them.

"Let 'em go Larry. We're here to do our jobs and clear the route. Besides, from what I can tell, there are no signs of Belkan activity there." said Cipher as he lowered his altitude and speed to glide by the group of houses.

His Suspicions were justified when he spotted a small child hiding behind a crate watching him as he flew by, Cipher waving at him for a quick second before he sped back up and rejoined his wingman.

"Enemy fighters approaching. They're Phantom IIs." spoke Larry as he observed the flight of fighters on his radar.

"Let's bag 'em." said a mercenary pilot from his F-16C, eager to earn a few extra bucks.

While they handled the new Belkan fighters, Cipher and Larry began their attack run on the AA guns, SAMs, and Leopard 1 Main Battle Tanks guarding the second bridge on Route 171.

"Our first defense unit is down! All units, engage the Allied Forces!"

"Did anyone request backup? Keep trying until you get a response!"

"Bombs away!" said Cipher with a laugh as he pulled away after dropping a bomb and smirked as a group of tanks went up in flames, sealing their crews fate to a fiery tomb.

"This is Meteor 3, I've been hit. Retreating from battle." reported a Belkan pilot after his F-4E was critically hit by a mercenary, forcing him to attempt to leave the battle zone.

He wasn't that lucky.

"Get back here!" snickered a mercenary pilots as he chased down the fleeing plane and shot him down, his entire planes metal frame just shattering into millions of pieces after another missile hit.

"We're gonna get slaughtered down here!" yelled a Belkan Soldier when the tank beside his own exploded, Larry's laughter echoing from his plane as he flew over his kill with Cipher following behind by killing his tank.

The two circled back around and used another salvo of UGBs to wipe out the other enemy ground forces, the second bridge now free of Belkan occupation, which meant only one bridge remained for them to clear of any resistance.

"They're coming at us!"

"Where the hell are those reinforcements?!"

"Our second defense unit is down! How could this happen?! There's only a few enemy fighters up there!"

The remaining Belkan ground forces were in utter panic, and Cipher and Larry just smiled as they assaulted the remaining forces from above. Bomb after bomb, missile after missile, the two mercenaries attacked the Belkan positions, their SAMs and AA guns unable to lay even a single round into their plane's wings or body.

All of a sudden the radar was flooded with new targets as a seven man squadron appeared from the northwest heading straight for their position.

Reinforcements.

"There's smoke by the bridge. We're about to enter the battlezone." reported one of the wingmen from the squadron of five MIG-29 Fulcrums and two F-16XLs.

Their bodies were dark grey and green camo, and golden nose tips. From what Cipher could tell, they were a very organized Belkan squadron and would prove to be tough enemies.

"We didn't come all this way to be stopped now. Ruchs Team, break!" ordered the flight lead as the squadron broke into two groups and went after the first targets they spotted...Cipher and Larry.

"Oh that's just fantastic!" sighed Cipher irritably as he avoided a missile from one of the Fulcrums and flipped his plane around to pursue his attacker.  
"These guys are pretty decent. Not a problem for us right Cipher?" smirked larry as he shot down one of the F-16XLs, Cipher grinning back as he got up behind his target and strafed its entire body with gunfire until he ripped off its wing, then banked right and fired a missile right into the cockpit of the last F-16XL.

The other mercenary pilots watched in awe as Cipher and Larry tore into the experienced Belkan fighter squadron and shot them down in just a few short minutes. It was a perfect example that showed why Cipher and Larry had become leading figures among the Ustian mercenary pilots.

"Operation complete. Now the Allied Forces can secure a military transport route. Well done, Galm Team. Looks like luck was on your side again today, Solo Wing." said Eagle Eye casually while larry just chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I've had my fill of going home without wings." he said with a sigh as he glanced at his Eagle's red wing, a symbol to his name.

-The mission was a success. Passage along Route 171 has been secured. Thanks to you, Ustio will now be able to launch a counterattack.

"So, what do you think of it so far?" asked Cipher as he took a break from storytelling and looked down at his son, who was still sitting in his lap and was almost ready to explode with excitement.

"What happens next?" he asked with a wide smile.

"Well, we go to a very special place I'd like to call Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R...also known as the Round Table.

\- Comona Islands, Southeastern Usea -

\- April 4th, 2016 2030 hrs -

"How's the observational sweep going Johnson?" asked an Usean scientist as he walked with a clipboard across the top section of the large room at Riass Space Center on the Comona Islands.

"So far so good. Seems we might be right on schedule for our next satellite launch." replied Johnson, an Erusean scientist, as he continued with his deep-space scan using the Hubble Space Telescope the base had launched back in 1990.

He took a sip of his drink and glanced around at the other scientists in the room before he looked back and nearly spit it out in surprise.

He quickly typed in a few commands and looked closely at the screen for a few moments before he gasped and leaned back in his chair.

"Um...Harold? You might want to take a look at this" he asked out loud, the man with the clipboard turning back and walking over to his computer.

He looked at Johnson's computer screen for a few seconds before his expression turned into an exact match of his, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with growing terror.

"My god...it's happening again."


	4. The Round Table

A/N Now we come to Cipher's first sortie into the infamous Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R...the Round Table, where aces go to polish their skills and fight independent of their ranks. Now we shall get a proper glimpse of who Cipher *really is, and what he will eventually become. Plus I changed this chapter to where it's gonna be filled with more action. Sorry for taking so long to update this too, i was taking a break.

Chapter 3 - The Round Table

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- April 20th, 1995 1100 hrs -

"Head operations has issued an emergency order for a reconnaissance mission to be conducted near the border. You will be monitoring the airspace B7R, currently under Belkan control. Strong opposition is expected by enemy squadrons, and the presence of a magnetic field has been detected, which may interfere with communications. In short, this will not be a walk in the park." started the Base Commander as images of B7R appeared on the screen, a red lined circle appearing to mark the airspace.

Cipher and Larry were the only two pilots in the room, the other mercenaries stationed at the base were off on other missions preparing for a future operation.

"The B7R airspace is located above an area rich in subterranean resources, where many conflicts have been fought in the past. You are authorized to engage enemy planes upon contact. The time has come for your skills to be tested." finished the Base Commander before he turned the briefing system off, Cipher and Larry glancing at one another with a doubtful expression on their face.

They left the briefing room and they walked out into the cold air of the air base, some snow still littered all over the base since last night's snowstorm up in the mountains.

"We're gonna be fighting some pretty skilled pilots over B7R. You ready for this Buddy?" asked Larry as they approached the hanger that held their fighter jets.

"We'll be fine. Larry, I have a feeling we're gonna be in for a good fight over that airspace. Let's get going."

After speaking for a few more seconds into his microphone, the man fixated his gaze on Larry once more and asked him another question.

"What is Area B7R, specifically?"

Larry looked at him for a few seconds, thinking about the question and what the best answer would be, and chuckled to hismelf while holdig his assault rifle closer.

"Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R...aka the "Round Table". It was the grand stage where we pilots performed. We were all on an equal footing, fighting under the same conditions. No affiliations or ranks to hinder us. Aces from every nation criss-crossed through those skies in pursuit of air superiority. The only rule of engagement was...to survive."

\- Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, Belka-Ustio-Osea border -

\- 022'53'37"N 234'19'32"E -

\- April 20th, 1995 1120 hrs -

Cipher and Larry flew in from up above into the airspace and gazed around at the craggy rocks and mountain range running through the strategic airway. The earth looked like at one point it was covered by water, so when it all dried up it looked as if a rock had struck the rock and created a ripple effect across the entire landscape. The weathered mountains also gave the impression that the area received periodic heavy rainfall from time to time.

"Man, the skies here are clearer than anywhere I've seen." marveled Cipher as he looked through the clear skies, occupied by only a few clouds scattered throughout the airspace.

"No kidding. No wonder this place is a perfect battlezone for pilots and their squadrons." replied Larry before their skygazing was interrupted by Eagle Eye.

"Galm Team, this is Eagle Eye. Penetrate B7R and get a feel for the surroundings."

"Galm 2, roger. This kind of job is what we're all about." said Larry cooley.

"Enemies on radar, exercise caution." warned Eagle Eye before he updated their radar and the two pilots gasped at the number of Belkan planes currently in Area B7R.

"Dammit!" cursed Larry.

"We gotta bag all these planes? Oi, this is gonna be a fun battle." grinned Cipher before he let Larry break away from him for a little to give the two of them room to maneuver.

"Is something wrong with the IFF? There's two aircraft showing up on the radar." spoke one of the Belkan pilots from his MIG-21 Fishbed, his two wingmen at a loss for words.

"I dunno. If they're enemies, let's bring 'em down."

"Galm Team, engage." ordered Eagle Eye as the first enemy flight approached Cipher and Larry from the front.

"We *will survive Galm 1." said Larry as they both did barrel rolls past one another and charged at the approaching enemy fighters, their F-15C Eagles superior to the Belkan Fishbeds, but the pilot's skill itself has yet to be seen.

"Fox 2!" said Cipher after locking onto a Belkan plane and fired two missiles at it.

He smirked when the Belkan skillfully maneuvered away from the missiles, even though the MIG-21 Fishbed was not a very maneuverable aircraft.  
"These guys are professionals, don't underestimate them." said Larry as he dodged a missile from one of the Belkans then skillfully took it down.

"Of course!" grinned Cipher as he showed his true colors and took down the other two Belkan planes with little effort, feat that surprised Larry and the other Belkan planes closing in on their position.

"Show them what the Belkan Air Force is capable of."

"They shot down our guide planes. I'm willing to be that was more than luck."

A flight of four F-4E Phantom IIs zoomed towards them while two more MIG-21s flanked from the right and formed a pincer-attack with the Phantoms.

"Let's get em Larry."

"Roger that Buddy!" replied Larry as the two split apart and engaged the oncoming fighters, the two mercenaries outmaneuvering the Belkan pilots and completely blowing them away, with Cipher downing four out of the six planes without even getting locked on by an enemy once.

"Galm Team, penetrate Area B7R." said Eagle Eye to Cipher and Larry, the two pilots pushing farther into Area B7R to look around some more.

"So those mountains in front of us make up the Round Table. I've heard my fair share of stories about it." said Larry as they both looked down at the mountain range beneath them, the mountains stretching from the Belkan city of Hoffnung down through B7R and back up through Belka to formed the Waldreich Mountain range dividing Nord Belka from South Belka.

All of a sudden, three groups of high-profile enemy targets appeared on radar from the northwest barreling towards them at high speeds.

"Warning! Radar shows additional craft approaching Area B7R at high speed." he informed.

"Galm 2 to Galm 1. Enemy reinforcements, probably the main force."

"You ready Larry?"

"Let's do this Cipher."

From the northwest, the gigantic group of Belkan fighters split off into three smaller groups comprised of four fighters each, one being four F/A-18C Hornets with green camo, the second being four JAS-39 Gripen Cs with purple lines painted on their wings, and the last one leading them all being four grey and red EF-2000 Typhoons. These three squadrons are among the numerous ace squadrons a part of the legendary Belkan Air Force.

**\- ROT -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**2nd Air Division, 52nd Tactical Fighter Squadron.**

**\- GRUN -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**10th Air Division, 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

**\- INDIGO -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**7th Air Division, 51st Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"Report." asked the lead pilot of the four man flight of Hornets, his wingman being the one to respond.

"This is Grun 2. There's two of them."

"This is Rot 1, we'll take care of them." said the flight lead of the Typhoon squadron as his flight pulled out ahead of the other two.

"Whatever you say Detlef." said the flight lead of the Gripen C squadron before the Typhoons surged ahead of them to take on Cipher and Larry.

"Rot 1 to all craft. Time to hunt some wild dogs. Down 'em all." ordered the flight lead before they banked right and sped at Cipher and Larry, aggressively charging right at them with the utmost confidence in their skills.

"Galm Team, we cannot authorize a retreat. Intercept them." ordered Eagle Eye as the enemy Typhoons closed in on the two mercenaries, Larry sighing to himself.

"I figured you'd say that. This is gonna cost you extra."

"What do you think those other fighters are doing? They're not attacking." said Cipher as he looked at the other two squadrons hovering just off the edge of their radar, slowly circling the area to observe.

"They're probably observing their over-confident friend here. Let's show them not to mess with us, Buddy." smirked Larry as he surged forward to meet the oncoming enemy, Cipher right beside him.

"Mercenary dogs." growled Rot 1 with a vile tone in his voice as the two squadrons appeared on each other's HUDs, initiating the engagement of four against two.

"This is the Round Table. Dead men's words hold no meaning." said Larry before he dove to the right and instigated a chase with an enemy Typhoon, the highly agile aircraft managing to shake off the missiles fired at it and begin its own attack on him.

"They're flying Typhoons. Don't underestimate these guys."

"Money-hungry dogs, without an ounce of honor. Don't think you'll leave Area B7R alive." said Rot 1 again as he dodged a missile from Cipher, the two pilots chasing each other above a mountain while another Rot pilot tried to flank Cipher from behind.

"Damn, what do you have against us?" questioned Cipher as he avoided a missile from the Rot craft chasing him and he spun his plane around to strafe its wing with gunfire, crippling it.

"I have no words to say to you, mercenary dog." replied Rot 1 before Cipher scowled and shot down the Rot craft chasing him with a missile to the fuselage, the Rot pilots and their flight lead becoming shocked at the act.

Cipher went on to be on a whole other level compared to the Belkan pilots after that, the Typhoons unable to lay a scratch on him as he dodged their every attack, eventually shooting down another plane with the assistance of Larry, leaving just Rot 1 and his wingman left. Before the two could regroup however, Cipher managed to land a blow on Rot 1's plane, something that severely angered him.

"I've been hit?! That low-life mercenary."

"Detlef's actually getting beat by a couple of mercenaries?" reveled the lead Gripen C pilot from his vantage point with the other squadron of Hornets.

"Yeah. Seems we might have to step in soon." replied the other squadron leader while he made preparations within his own aircraft for battle.

After a taking a split second to rethink their strategy, Rot 1 and his wingman engaged Larry and Cipher separately, trying to work the two together to where they could instantly switch targets and attack the other without giving them any time to react. It didn't work. Rot 1 broke away from Larry and attempted to strike Cipher in his engines with a missile, but in that split second of the warning siren starting to blare and the battle instincts kicking in, he performed a maneuver so crazy that it had never been attempted before. He cut the engines almost to a crawl and pulled back on the flight stick, the plane flipping over on a dime until it was upside down, CIpher gunning it not only past the missile fired at him, but straight at Rot 1, allowing him to down the elite Belkan ace with a missile to the right wing.

"The captain's been shot down! Requesting back-up!" pleaded the remaining Rot pilot before Larry shot him down, the two other Belkan squadrons hovering outside the combat zone completely baffled by the take down of one of their most elite fighter squadrons.

"All Belkan reinforcements shot down-" started Eagle Eye before the other two squadrons raced into the combat zone and locked their sights on Cipher and Pixy, wanting to avenge their fallen squadron.

"Well then, let's have some fun." said Grun 1 to his pilots before they spread apart up high while the Gripen Cs took the low road.

"This is Indigo 1, targets spotted. Commencing attack."

"We've got more coming in! Seems we've got a squadron for each of us Larry!" said CIpher with a smirk as he set his eyes on Indigo 1 while Larry's rested on Grun 1.

"Handle their wingmen. I'm going after the flight leads." ordered Cipher before he took off, Larry shrugging as he broke away and armed several XMAA missiles for the soon to be dogfight.

"Roger."

The three squadrons converged on one another, and at first Cipher and Larry were overwhelmed by the combined power of the two Belkan ace squadrons, their missile alert sirens incessantly blaring in their ears.

"Unlike you mercenaries, I fight for a real cause. The ones who survive are those who fight for their convictions." said Indigo 1 as he went after Cipher first with his wingman, their two small yet versatile Gripen Cs hounding Cipher's F-15C to the point he almost got shot down.

"Let's take care of these mercenaries real quick Dimitri." said Grun 1 after avoiding a missile from Larry by utilizing his flares.

"These hornets are getting annoying! Don't let 'em sting you in the ass!" growled Larry before Cipher zoomed past him and helped him out by chasing after on of the Hornets and shot it down with a pair of missiles.

"Fox 3!" he yelled before he followed up with the firing of four XMAA missiles that tracked a single Gripen C and another Hornet until they collided with their bodies and turned them into flaming wrecks.

Then Larry shot down another Gripen C, reducing their numbers down 4 and to only two members of each squadron remained to fight the two mercenaries.

"Dammit! Both of 'em know what they're doing." cursed Grun 1 as the Belkan pilots stepped up their game.

"Fox 2!" said Indigo 1 as he fired a missile at Cipher once more, but the mercenary effortlessly dodged it and continued his attack on the Grun pilots while Larry switched over to Indigo.

Larry relentlessly pursued Indigo 1's wingman, twisting and turning when he banked and rolled to try and lose him, but the mercenary stayed glued to his six and when he finally got an opening, he shot a missile right up the Gripen C's ass and critically damaged it.

"Those bastards!" growled Grun 1 when he went after Larry, but his charge was cut short when Cipher got on his tail and started to pursue him.

"Ustio is holding their own in the Round Table." said Indigo 1 in respect for their enemies combat prowess in B7R, normally a place where Belkan pilots reigned supreme.

All of a sudden Cipher ditched the chase with Grun 1 and instantly went after Indigo 1, having seen the momentary drop of his guard, and had took advantage of the situation to bring down Indigo's captain. He tried to get away from Cipher but his reaction was too slow, and Cipher brought him down by shearing off his right wing with his gun, leaving only three fighters left.

"Enemy fighter confirmed down. Apparently that was their captain." informed Larry before he sweared as gunfire whooshed past the canopy of his plane, alerting him to the presence of a Grun fighter on his tail.

"Let's wrap this fight up Buddy." said Cipher with a smirk as he returned his attention to Grun 1 after bringing down the last Indigo member as it tried to escape the battle zone since its plane had been damaged by Larry.

"You got it Cipher! Fox 2!" replied Larry as he stopped his plane and let the Grun fighter blow right past him, allowing Larry to fire two missiles right into the fuselage of the Hornet and bring it down cleanly.

"The last one's mine Cipher!" he said with a laugh as the two mercenaries went after Grun 1, but every missile they fired at his plane was diverted away from him by the flares he would launch out from his plane.

Cipher though was determined and got up close to Grun 1's jet, never straying far from his backside through all the barrel-rolls, sharp turns and twists, until he noticed a small opening in his enemies maneuvers and exploited it.

When Grun 1 banked right to try and shake him off, Cipher launched a missile at that exact moment and whooped in victory when it struck home and tore the plane in two, the pilot going down with his plane until he spotted a white parachute shoot out of the cockpit.

"All Belkan reinforcements confirmed down. Mission complete. Return to base." announced Eagle Eye as the two mercenaries formed up over one of the mountains of the Round Table and turned towards the southeast for their return trip back to Ustio and their home base.

"Incoming message from Allied Forces Operations Command. "Allied naval force has begun its advance. We appreciate your work."" read off Eagle Eye, Larry rolling his eyes and sighing in disappointment.

"Looks like we were just a couple of decoys."

"Bah, I count this as a victory. I mean, the two of us, just a couple of mercenaries, brought down *three highly skilled Belkan squadrons that probably would've murdered anyone else who was sent here! Do you know what this means?" asked Cipher enthusiastically.

"What? That we outmaneuvered them beyond their expectations?" asked Larry with a smile.

"No, that we're just more badass than they are!" exclaimed Cipher before the two burst out laughing, even Eagle Eye chuckling a little at their enthusiasm.

"Heh...Yo Buddy, you still alive?" asked Larry, the saying having become his trademark moniker.

"Alive as I'll ever be Buddy." replied Cipher.

-Well done. I'll make sure Head Operations hears about how you defeated three elite squadrons of enemy Typhoons, Hornets and Gripen Cs. Things are only going to get better for you two. Keep up the good work.


	5. Offensive Campaign No 4101

A/N How'd you guys like that last chapter? I had all three ace squadrons that you could face there appear at once because like i've described before, Cipher has the traits of all three kinds of aces, a Mercenary, Soldier, and Knight ace, and we gotta have all three in there to fight him because its awesome. Now let us begin with Offensive Campaign No. 4101.

Chapter 4 - Offensive Campaign No. 4101

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

"Go long!" said Cipher as he grasped a football and aimed at Larry's hands as he ran back.

He threw the football with a perfect spiral right into his wingman's outstretched arms, grinning when Larry spiked the ball down and did a victory dance as if he had scored a touchdown.

After finishing his dance, he picked up the ball and looked at Cipher, who was looking up at the sky and the full moon.

"Yo, Buddy? You alright?" yelled Larry to him, Cipher looking back at him when he was awoken from his trance.

"Yeah...I'm fine." he replied as he motioned for Larry to throw him the football.

He lobbed it back and after re-gripping it to throw it back to him, someone called for them both from the base.

"Cipher, Larry! We've got another mission!" yelled one the other mercenaries from an open door of the main building.

"Got it! Let's go Buddy. Time to go Belkan busting." smirked Larry as he jogged towards the building with Cipher right behind him.

They made it ti the briefing with just a minute to spare and when everyone got settled in their seats, the Base Commander started to briefing.

"The Ustio, Sapin and Osea coalition forces are to launch a joint campaign. The collective strategic military force of the three armies will referred to as the "Allied Forces". The campaign will be called "Offensive Campaign No. 4101"." he began as the briefing system zoomed in on Sapin territory under Belkan control, focusing around a well known sea passage known as the Futuro Canal.

"The objective of this operation is to secure a sea transit lane for the Allied Forces. To secure this channel, the Belkan forces occupying the Futuro Canal must be cleared out. You will be given a choice of missions in this joint operation." he continued as the Belkan forces along the canal were divided into three sectors, ground units at the mouth, ground, sea and air forces at the back, and aerial forces in the center.

"Offensive Campaign No. 4101 will be comprised of the following three air missions. First, there is Operation Gelnikos. This is an air-to-air/air-to-surface operation, whose objective is to wipe out Belka's air squadron, port facilities and surface weapons." explained the Base Commander about the first sector, at the mouth of the canal.

"Next is Operation Round-Hammer. This is an air-to-surface operation, whose objective is to wipe out the Belkan naval fleet, its port facilities and surface weapons."

Cipher examined the enemy concentrations and in his mind was calculating how large of a payload he and Larry would have to carry to bring maximum devastation for each mission, depending on the on they chose of course.

"And tha last mission is called Operation Costner. this is an escort mission whose objective is to protect the naval vessels in Osea's 3rd Fleet, including its state-of-the-art aircraft carrier, which will be making a trial voyage. Fierce resistance by Belkan forces is expected in all three missions. Choose carefully which one you wish to participate in. That is all."

The Base Commander switched off the briefer and he dismissed the pilots, Larry joining Cipher for the tip to their planes.

"So which operation are we going to participate in Cipher?" he asked.

"The third one, Operation Costner, for two reasons. One, our Eagles were made for aerial combat and not for ground attack operations, and two...I have a sneaky suspicion that the real battle will be there. Who wouldn't want to get the chance to sink Osea's newest toy?" said Cipher with a grin before they entered their hangar to retrieve their planes and get ready for takeoff.

\- Futuro Canal, Kingdom of Sapin -

\- 014'03'23"n 231'28'19"E -

\- April 24th, 1995 1140 hrs -

"Damn, that is one fine carrier!" exclaimed Cipher as he and Larry made a pass over Osea's new carrier, the OFS Kestrel, as she and her fleet approached the mouth of the Futuro Canal.

Earlier that day, confirmation had arrived from their allies of the destruction of the Belka's naval forces and port facilities in the back half of the canal. Now it was their turn, with the 3rd Fleet steaming ahead at full speed towards the canal, with Cipher, Larry and a handful of Osean pilots being the fleet's defense force.

"Eagle Eye to the Galm Team. Protect the fleet as it passes through the canal." said Eagle Eye when the fleet passed by the flaming ruins of the port facilities at the canal's entrance that had been destroyed from their forces who initiated the entire thing with Operation Gelnikos.

Then, as if on cue, a section of their radar became blurred out and opaque, Cipher knowing instantly what it was just by the sight of it. Enemy jamming.

"We've got company! Enemy forces approaching from the north under the cover of enemy jamming!" he announced as he and Larry got into their combat formation, with Larry dropping back a few feet and raising his altitude to become the "Guardian" while Cipher pulled out ahead a little and became the "Charger".

"This is Captain Weeker of the Kestrel. All ships on high alert. Do not shoot down our allies." ordered the Kestrel's captain as its escort ships, a pair of destroyers and one cruiser readied their anti-aircraft weapons.

"Guess they really don't want us to get through. Let's go." said Larry before he looked down at his radar and cursed when two more jamming interferences appeared from the left and right side, the three groups all converging on the Kestrel and her fleet.

"Larry, you focus on the left group, I'll take the right. Once we finish them off we converge on the center group and take them out." ordered Cipher before they split apart to go for their targets.

Cipher circled around the back of his group and noticed the EA-6B Prowler flying at a higher altitude above the four F-1 Kaizens it was disgusting from their radar.

"_Child's play."_ he thought with a smirk before he locked onto the four Kaizens with his XMAAs and let them loose, the Belkan pilots becoming startled when their missile alert sirens began to wail in their ears.

"Missiles incoming! Break!" warned the flight lead as they tried to swerve out of the way to dodge the missiles, but their F-1s were les than decent on maneuverability, so as a result they were all brought down at once. Cipher immediately turned his attention to the Prowler flying above and chased it down.

"Shit, they've got skilled pilots in the air! Call in the Winds of-" called out the Belkan pilot before he was cut off when Cipher shot him down.

A few seconds later, Larry's group of targets vanished off the radar, the two pilots now converging on the center group of approaching targets while the Osean pilots maintaining their position over the 3rd Fleet were amazed at their swift takedowns.

"So this is how the Ustio mercenaries fly." said one of the Osean pilots in awe.

"They're pretty good for mercenaries." said another with begrudging respect.

"The show's just getting started!" said Cipher when they reached the third group of enemies and counted out four F-16C Falcons, four Harriers, and a single EA-6B Prowler providing the jamming.

""Let's take 'em down!" laughed Larry as he dove right in and attacked the Harriers first while Cipher went after the F-16Cs.

"He's on my tails! I can't shake him off!"

"Goodbye." smirked Cipher as he brought down his target and moved on to another.

"Fourth group of enemy bogies in bound from the right. Galm Team, take them out." informed Eagle Eye when another group, without jamming interference, appeared on the radar barreling right for the carrier, Cipher glancing over his shoulder and squinting his eyes to just barely make out the outline of two AC-130 Gunships and a pair of F-16Cs.

"I've got this group larry, you head over and take out those gunships before they do some serious damage to our allies with their weapons." said Cipher as he dodged a missile from a Falcon pursuing him before pulling the Devil's Trap and taking him down easily.

"Roger that Buddy." he replied as Larry broke off from the engagement and sped towards the gunships and their two escorts, surprising them by taking out one of the gunships before baiting the Falcons to follow him.

Larry juked them both and doubled back to the second gunship and brought it down with a missile to the fuselage that detonated the ammunition within its belly and made it detonate in a massive fireball. His warning siren blared in his ear and he banked to the right to dodge a missile launched at his backside, Larry grinning as he outmaneuvered his attacker and destroyed the Belkan F-16C, then followed up by bringing down the other as well.

"Everything's clear over here!' he called out, Cipher responding by shooting down the EA-8G Prowler providing jamming coverage, revealing no other enemies in the air.

Upon the last plane's destruction, the Kestrel's fleet picked up speed and passed the halfway marker of the canal, getting closer to the end of the sea passage. All of a sudden a large group of enemy fighters appeared from the north, their leader starting to speak.

"This is Postler 1. Initiate hurricane."

"Warning, multiple jamming craft on radar!" cautioned Eagle Eye before a ring of jamming bubbles appeared on radar around the fleet, hiding the enemy as they approached the fleet while Cipher and Larry were left with fuzzy radars and deformed deformed HUDs.

"Dammit! My radar's inop!" cursed Larry before the enemy Belkan pilot spoke again.

"Winds of Futuro, engage!"

"This is Eagle Eye to the Galm Team. Be careful of sudden attacks from all sides, and the number of aircraft is unknown."

"Roger Eagle Eye. We're dealing with the Whirlwind Larry, be careful." replied Cipher as he and Larry heightened their senses for any signs of the enemy.

All of a sudden, two SU-27s rushed out of the jamming ring and assaulted the two of them from the front, two F-5Es from the right, and two Mirage 2000-Ds from the side.

"Shit!" cursed Cipher as the Flankers fell upon him in an instant, gunfire spraying past Larry was under the same pressure as him, his F-15C twisting and turning to avoid being shot down by the four fighters on his tail.

"Retreat." ordered Postler 1 before all of his aircraft retreated back into the jamming ring and out of Cipher and Larry's line of sight.

"Those jammers are a nuisance!" growled Larry in frustration.

"Stay cool Laary! I've got an idea." said Cipher calmly before the enemy pilots emerged from the ring once more to attack them, only this time they flew in from different directions and altitudes.

"Lure them towards the ships!" ordered Cipher as he quickly accelerated towards the Kestrel, Larry right beside him with the Belkan fighters on on their tails.

"Ready CIWS! Fire at anything except our allies!" ordered Captain Weeker as Cipher and Larry led the Belkans closer and closer to the Osean naval ships until they broke apart to fly around the ships as they opened fire with every weapon they had.

The Belkans flew through the incoming fire and attacks from the Osean pilots protecting the carrier, their brazen charge costing them both of their Mirages and one of the F-5E Tiger IIs.

"Both Schakal 1 and 2 are down!"

"We've lost Gabel 1!"

"Damn Ustians!" cused Postler 1 before Cipher and Larry flew down from above and attacked the Belkans, Cipher bagging the other F-5E and one Su-27, Postler 1's wingman, while Larry shot down Postler 1 himself with a single missile that shattered his left wing and ripped it clean off the fuselage.

As soon as the Belkan ace went down, the EA-6Bs forming the jamming ring around the naval force fled the airspace in a hurry, not wanting to deal with the two mercenaries that just dominated the Winds of Futuro, some of the most skilled Belkan pilots that ruled the skies of the important sea route.

"This is Captain Weeker on the Kestrel. My fleet has managed to pass through the canal, thanks to the gentlemen providing air support!"

"No problem!" said Cipher with a grin before he and Larry left the canal; as allied reinforcements arrived to take their place and joined up with their mercenary comrades out away from the canal for the flight back up to Ustio.

-Operation Costner succeeded, contributing to the overall success of Offensive Campaign No. 4101. Having passed safely through the canal, the Osean fleet marks the beginning of our nation's counterattack. Good work.

\- Valais Air Force Base

\- April 24th, 1995 1248 hrs -

"Oi, I could really go for something to eat right now." said Cipher hungrily as his stomach growled when he and Larry closed the door to their hangar and breathed in the fresh cool air of the Tyrann Mountains.

"You're always hungry." grinned Larry as he threw his arm around Cipher and they both laughed at the obvious truth of the statement when Cipher's stomach growled again.

"_Just a few more battles and Ustio will be free, then this war will finally be over."_ thought Larry happily as they entered the base's bar and were immediately called over to a large table occupied by their friends, eager to tell their individual stories from today's operation.

Larry's hope, however, wouldn't come true, and the brutality of the war would only worsen and worsen to the point when everything went up in a bright, white flash.

A/N

**That day our sky fe||, the heavens split to create new skies.**

\- Odysseus -

"Lot of meteor dust in the air today. Hard to believe it's already been ten years, huh? And the sky's still full of that junk."

"What's that? In the sky!"

"What the hell's going on?! Somebody, answer me!"

"Holy…!"

"All Arrowblades, report!"

"Reaper, do you copy?"

"It's Odysseus part two...huh?"

"I've had my fill of this sight ten years ago...I can't believe I'm seeing it again."


	6. Flicker of Hope

A/N Sorry guys it took so long! I had to take a brain break.

Chapter 5 - Flicker of Hope

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- May 11th, 1995 2250 hrs -

Cipher took off from the runway and flew up into the starry night sky, exhaling deeply as he relaxed his nerves and let his body be at ease for once in a very long time. Recently he had taken up this little habit of his, with taking off from the base in the dead of night and just flying over the base, watching the stars and just thinking.

He had also been seeing something peculiar and strange as well, and, to be honest...what he saw frightened him a lot.

Everytime he looked up at the moon, he could see nothing but skies filled fire, and gigantic hunks of flaming rock raining down from the heavens like it was the end of the world. That's what he was seeing right now.

He blinked and the terrifying vision ceased to exist, never to plague him again till the next night.

"_Why do I keep seeing this?_" he thought in frustration as he racked his brain for any clue, any idea as to what could be causing those horrific visions of hell on earth.

"_What if...all of this is a side effect…?_" he asked himself in curiosity before he shook his head vigorously and dismissed the idea quickly, deeming it as illogical.

He continued on with his flying and maintained his physical and mental peace, pushing back those thoughts until they reached the very far recesses of his mind. However...one word that occupied those thoughts would always find its way back out into the light, one word that was intriguing and curious, but possessed a small sense of ominous foreboding laced within...Odysseus.

\- May 12th, 1995 0520 hrs -

"The mountain town of Solis Ortus is located just outside Ustio's capital, Directus. The Allied Forces will deploy airborne troops, comprised primarily of Osea's 101st Airborne Division, over Solis Ortus, in a surprise air and ground attack on the Belkan forces." began the Base Commander to the weary pilots who were aroused from their sleep for this mission at the break of dawn, Cipher being the only one fully awake.

"This operation will play a critical role in Ustio's liberation. Your mission is to provide support for the airborne troops. Destroy Belka's surface-to-air defense network and all interceptor aircraft, securing a safe drop zone for the airborne troops. Be aware of civilians still inside Solis Ortus. Your actions will determine their fate. Good luck."

"How are you already awake?" asked Larry with a yawn to Cipher after the briefing ended and the two started to walk to the door.

"I have my ways." grinned Cipher before he winked at Larry and walked out the door.

\- Solis Ortus, Ustio -

\- 016'52'07"N 237'16'09E -

\- May12th, 1995 0550 hrs -

The sun was just starting to crest the horizon when Cipher and Larry leading a small group of Mercenaries entered Solis Ortus airspace ahead of allied C-130s carrying members of the 101st Airborne Division.

"Escort craft, this is the 101st Airborne. We're now entering the designated airspace. We can't return to base until we empty this transport. We're counting on you." spoke one of the Osean transport pilots as they appeared on radar a couple of miles behind the mercenaries.

'Roger that. We'll clean house for you guys." said Cipher as he split up his force into three groups of two.

"We'll be counting on it."

One group, Larry and Cipher, would clear out the first section of the town while the two other groups would destroy any Belkan anti-air units in the other sections. And judging from the amount of units in each section, this operation was gonna be walk in the park.

"First, attack any anti-air troops positioned at our parachute unit's crop destination. You can worry about any fighters afterwards." ordered Eagle Eye as Cipher and larry began their attack on the SAM units stationed in a ring around their section of Solis Ortus.

"Get your asses into gear people! You've gotta jump or you're of no value to this unit! Anyone showing weakness will be left behind!"

The first group of allied transports, with their bellies full of Osean airborne troops, got closer to Solis Ortus just as Cipher destroyed the last SAM unit and moved on to the AA units stationed within the city itself.

"Use that anger to get fired up and take 'em out! Understood? Go get 'em!"

"We're the best! We're the best!"

Just as Larry destroyed the last AA gun, positioned in the center of a courtyard, the C-130's carrying the first wave flew over the first section of the town and airborne troops began to fill the skies above Solis Ortus, their white parachutes glistening in the morning sunlight.

"Move! Move! Move! Don't stop to think! Just keep moving!" yelled an airborne troop as gunfire blended in with the sound of his voice, the Belkan and Osean soldiers clashing and waging a ground war within the city from block to block.

"They are a brave bunch of soldiers, I'll give them that." said Larry in respect of the Oseans as the two other sections of Solis Ortus became infested with Osean troops.

"This place is a beautiful little town to live in too. It's a shame they've been dragged into this war." said Cipher as he observed the small town from above.

"Yeah, I know. I think I might actually settle down here when my time's done in the air." replied Larry.

"That won't be for a very long time I hope, Buddy." chuckled Cipher in response.

"Meet up with Company 4 in sector F-4. You got a map?"

"The fighting's the heaviest in sector F-7, send them some back-up!"

"Belkan fighters confirmed on radar. Galm Team, destroy them." informed Eagle Eye as new enemy targets appeared on radar.

"Roger AWACs. Larry, special weapons permitted." said Cipher calmly as he spotted the Belkan fighters on radar and turned his plane towards them.

"There's still a lot of soldiers up in the air! How many could've dropped to the ground?" questioned a Belkan soldier frantically as the tide of battle began to turn towards the favor of the Osean airborne troops.

Cipher and Larry joined up with their mercenary allies already fighting Belkan fighters, comprised of F-16Cs and F-15C Eagles, and set their sights on their targets.

"There's only two Eagle pilots allowed to fly these skies, and that's us!" said Cipher with a laugh as they flew right into the scuffle and shot down two of the Belkan fighters almost instantly.

"Sector F-3 has more enemy forces than expected. Once we meet up with Company 4 we'll initiate the attack." said an Airborne soldier when one section of Solis Ortus was liberated, the Oseans moving in on the other portions to free them from Belkan control.

"Our ground forces are getting annihilated! Someone help them for god's sake!"

"Heads up! Enemy formation of ground attack aircraft en-route to our allies." said Eagle Eye as four new targets popped up on radar approaching the city from the northwest.

"I'll handle them." said Cipher before anyone could object and disengaged from the fight to gun it full speed towards the new enemy formation of Belkan fighters.

"They're Warthogs. This'll be easy." he said with a smirk as he spotted the four A-10s flying in formation towards the epicenter of Solis Ortus, where at this moment that was where the heaviest concentration of OSean airborne troops were.

"Fox 3!' he said before three XMAA missiles lanced out from his Eagle and in a split second one A-10 had its wing ripped right off, one was engulfed in flames and the other's body was torn in two with flames spewing out from within.

Before the other two could escape, and he highly doubted that they could due to the Thunderbolt's extremely low top speed, Cipher shot holes through the first of the two until he finally managed to hit the cockpit, then fired a missile right into the left engine of the second, setting it ablaze as it free-fell towards the earth.

"We're engaging the enemy in sector B-6! It's no good! They're driving us out!' yelled a Belkan soldier before his voice was cut off and became overwhelmed by gunfire and the sound of troops being given orders.

"The operation is going just as planned. Shoot down the remaining enemy fighters and lets wrap this up." said Eagle Eye, Cipher now madly speeding towards Larry and the others to try and gain one final kill for the day.

His hope was crushed when Larry shot down the final Belkan fighter right when he had gotten within range for him to fire a missile, and he showed his discontent and sadness loud and clear.

"Aw…! Dammit!" he whined as he flew by Larry at full speed, Larry just laughing his ass off in triumph.

"Maybe next time Cipher, we've gotta make money too sometimes." said one of the other mercenaries with a chuckle.

"Incoming message from Operations Command. "Airlift operations was a success." All enemy forces near Solis Ortus have been eliminated. The rest is up to the ground forces. Galm Team, mission complete. Return to base." reported Eagle Eye cooly, Cipher and Larry leading the mercenaries out of Solis Ortus airspace while the battle continued to wage down in the city streets.

Later that day after they had successfully landed and had stowed away their planes in their hangar, Larry snuck up behind Cipher and threw his arm around his shoulder, making him jump as Larry directed him towards the building that held the base's bar.

"It's almost over Buddy. Next stop is the capital of Ustio, Directus." he said optimistically with a little pep in his step.

"Yeah, I know. To be honest, I'm gonna miss this little country when we leave. I've grown quite fond of it." replied Cipher regretfully.

"Same here. But you know the deal with mercenaries like us. Once we've done our bojs, they don't care about us anymore." said Larry with a sigh, Cipher nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Oh a mercenaries life for us."

"Yo ho, yo ho." snickered Larry, the two friends laughing.

\- Operation Varsity succeeded. Ground troops are now en-route to Solis Ortus. It won't be long now before Ustio is liberated.

"I think we should take a break right now. Daddy needs a drink." said Cipher in a worn out voice as he set his son down onto his feet from his lap while receiving a pouty look.

"Aww! But why?" he whined as Cipher went into the kitchen to retrieve a beer then sit back down in his recliner with a soft thump.

"Sorry kiddo, we'll continue the story tomorrow."

"Fine…" said his son with a huff before he stormed off with his arms crossed, Cipher smirking at the stubbornness he had inherited from him.

"_He's definitely mine…_" he thought before he grabbed a remote and switched on the T.V, clicking the buttons to flip through the channels until he got to the sports channel.

A/N

_That day our sky fe||, the heavens split to create new skies._

_Oblivion_

Prologue

1 - Lost Butterfly

2 - Great Migration

3 - Rescue

4 - ^-

5 - Far Eastern Front

6 - Training

7 - ^- - Night Assault

8 - ^- - -

9 - Avalon

10 - Resurgence of the Butterfly Master

11 - Counterattack

12 - Invictus (Part 1)

13 - Fall of ^-

14 - Liberation of ^-

15 - Battle of the Giants

16 - Search and Destroy

17 - Crossing the Border

18 - The Betrayal

19 - Night Raid

20 - The Might of the Ustio Air Force

21 - Siege of ^-

22 - Weapons Base Destruction

23 - Freeing the ^- - -

24 - Launch of the ^- -

25 - ^- - -

26 - ^-

27 - ^- Mimicry

28 - ^-.-.-

29 - Crucible of Fire

30 - The ^- and the ^- -

31 - Operation: ^- -

32 - ^-

33 - Shattered Skies

34 - ^- -

35 - The Black Angel of Death

36 - Invictus (Part 2)

37 - ^-

38 - Oblivion

39 - The Ace of Aces

40 - New Skies

41 - ^- - -

Epilogue


	7. Diapason

N Alright, here's when the Belkan War, in Larry and Cipher's eyes, will finally end with the liberation of the Republic of Ustio's capital of Directus. They never would've suspected that this conflict would only grow even worse. (Fun Fact - "Diapason means "a grand swelling burst of harmony", which would make sense due to the fact that after Directus was liberated, the citizens cheered and celebrated)

Chapter 6 - Diapason

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

\- April 5th, 2016 0900 hrs -

Cipher's eyes fluttered and he yawned before he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway and nearly jumped out of the bed with a yelp. When his vision adjusted, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw it was only his son standing eagerly in the doorway to listen to the rest of his story with the biggest smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, let me wake up first. I'll meet you downstairs in a minute Jasper." said Cipher with a chuckle as he hoisted himself out of bed while his son, Jasper, ran out of the room, Cipher chuckling again as he he heard the thumping of his feet as he ran down the stairs.

He shuffled into the bathroom and yawned agaiin while he went for his toothbrush and toothpaste, intending to brush hiWs teeth first. After he squirted out the paste onto the brush and lifted it up to his teeth, he made direct eye contact with a picture taped to the mirror and felt his heart tighten. It was Liz, smiling without a care in the world on the beach there in the coastal town of Anfang. He remembered that day as if it were yesterday...it was their anniversary. And it was the time when he came back from the Estovakian Civil War on break for the holidays.

He sighed deeply as he sucked down his sadness and continued on with his daily routine, brushing his teeth, taking a shower, and getting dressed.

He walked down the stairs and was instantly hounded by Jasper who almost grasped onto his leg and started to drag him towards the living room.

"Whoa, calm down there Buddy! I'm going, I'm going!" he laughed as he walked over to his recliner and sat down, Jasper climbing up onto the edge of his seat and plopping himself down there to listen.

"Where was I…? Oh, right! Operation: Constantine...the liberation of the capital of Directus…" he said before he continued his story.

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- May 13th, 1995 1600 hrs -

"Today's the day!" yelled Larry in excitement as he bounded towards Cipher, who was currently standing outside their hangar with what seemed to be smoke emerging from his lips.

As he got closer, his belief that it was in fact ihs breath escaping from his mouth being visible due to the cold temperatures in the Tyrann Mountains, but Cipher actually had a cigarette in his mouth.

"I thought you said you didn't smoke?" asked Larry as he slowed to a jog and stopped by him, Cipher grinning a little before he took out the cigarette and tossed it away while he wiped his hands on his flight suit.

"Nervous habit. I don't do it a lot." he replied before he joined Larry on the return trip back towards the base briefing room.

"That stuff kills your lungs you know." said Larry with a chuckle before Cipher pointed at the noticeable lump in Larry's cheek and replied back, "Coming from the guy who chews tobacco nearly everyday."

"Bah!" said Larry as he waved away the statement and laughed as the two entered the main building, being greeted by other mercenaries and grounds crew members alike before they walked into the briefing room, the mercenaries joining them on the operation and the Base Commander watching them enter.

Once they sat themselves down at the front of the room, the Commander started up the briefing system and started the briefing with a lighter tone, almost happy, in his voice.

"Preparations to liberate Directus are now complete. I will now brief you on the Ustio 6th Air Division's role in regaining control of the capital. Directus is divided into five administrative wards centering on the River Crescere. Powerful weapons have been placed in each ward, comprising the Belkan army's Ustio-branch headquarters. Their forces received a buff from those who escaped Solis Ortus the day before, and they are willing to fight city block for city block." he started as the capital appeared on screen, four red dots appearing along a winding river marking the location of the Belkan army's concentrations within Directus' five sectors.

"This battle will determine our fate, as the annihilation of all enemy forces will mean liberation for the nation of Ustio. The enemy forces are primarily comprised of ground troops, but we have received information that, while not yet confirmed, there is also a squadron of hi-tech enemy fighters."

"That's gonna be fun for us, eh Buddy?" whispered Larry over to Cipher, who grinned and nod in agreement.

"Your orders are to destroy the Belkan forces and liberate Directus. We can't afford to lose. Dismissed." finished the Base Commander before the room went dark.

Cipher and Larry bumped fists before they ran out of the room first and jogged through the hallway leading out of the main building until they breached the door out into the sun and continued towards their hangar, ready to end this war once and for all.

"Let's get this thing over with and free Ustio!" said Cipher optimistically before he climbed into his F-15C and slipped on his flight helmet while powering on the engines.

They taxied out onto the runway and taking top priority over the other mercenaries, they were allowed to take off first and circle over the base while their comrades took off.

"Who's gonna get the highest kill count today gentlemen?" asked Larry as they formed up and left Valais behind just as Eagle Eye took off and flew up to join their convoy.

"Cipher." they all said at the same time, Larry just laughing out loud while Cipher smirked.

"Well it's true!" he said aloud just as Eagle Eye joined them on their way to Directus.

\- Directus, Ustio -

\- 017'28'01"N 238'25'51"E -

\- May 13th, 1995 1630 hrs -

"Start the operation. Release five sectors under Belkan control." said Eagle Eye as Cipher and Larry lead the aerial charge into Directus airspace from the south while an allied Osean armored division penetrated the city's defenses from the east.

"Cipher, let's do this right. It's time Ustio got its capital back." said Larry as he flew over Cipher's plane, the latter looking up to see the UGBs Larry was carrying barely pass over his plane's body.

He had made sure to have Larry's plane be equipped for ground-attacks while his plane was outfitted with normal AIM-9 Sidewinders and QAAMs for aerial engagements. Ground attack warfare wasn't really his style.

"Roger that, Buddy. You know the deal people, we liberate each sector one by one. Jackson, Rikes, you're with me on aerial attacks. Larry, you lead Greg and Ferguson on the ground attacks." replied Cipher as the first administrative ward of Directus appeared on radar and the target signatures on their HUDs, the two groups of three splitting apart to perform their tasks.

"We've got multiple Flankers and Typhoons. Take 'em out cleanly gentlemen." said Cipher as he locked onto a Belkan Typhoon and fired a single QAAM missile, the high-homing warhead tracking down its prey until it destroyed it, Cipher scoring the first kill of the operation.

"Cipher, we've got tents down here on the outskirts of the city. They're probably full of Belkan supplies. What do you want to do?" asked Larry after he took out an AA gun with a UGB, Cipher only taking a second to think of an answer.

"Leave them be. They're of no importance if there's no one left to use them."

"Roger."

Cipher dodged a missile fired at him from behind and swerved away as a Flanker chased him down, the skilled mercenary only chuckling to himself as he performed the Devil's trap maneuver and took the Belkan pilot down without a scratch on him.

Larry's group was having an easy time with the Belkan ground forces, their fighters being able to outmaneuver the SAM missiles and AA gunfire sent back up at them, and in no time at all, the first sector of Directus was liberated. Cipher and his group downed the last fighter up above and this signaled the Osean armored division to begin its advance on the third sector, the two groups going to meet up and assault the rest of the Belkan forces stationed in the city.

Within the outskirts of the city and the city itself, the denizens of Directus heard the sounds of war and how Belka had lost control of the first ward of the city, and this started to give them hope. A Belkan soldier escorting a group of men into a shelter when all of a sudden one from the group leaped out and socked him in the face, knocking him flat to the ground while alerting the other Belkan soldiers to the sudden attack.

Other Ustians, whether it be men or women, began to take up arms against their oppressors and would swarm the soldiers and steal their firearms to fight back against the Belkans.

"Onto the second sector!" said Cipher as they attacked the Belkans stationed in the second ward of the city, populated main by short and squat buildings, most likely factories, Larry's group being careful with where they aim their UGBs since the enemy ground forces were positioned close by to some of those buildings.

"The tide should turn once their get their capital back, then the war should be over since I heard that Osea's gained back its land along with Sapin." said Larry enthusiastically after wiping out a SAM with a missile.

"What's our air squadron up too? We're getting slaughtered!" shouted a Belkan soldier hysterically, their air squadron currently being decimated by Cipher and his team.

"Aren't there any orders from higher up? Where's the General? Hasn't anyone seen him?" asked another in the same tone of voice.

"_Seems someone knows that they won't be able to win this fight._" thought Cipher with a smirk about the "General" the Belkans were talking about before he spotted a CH-47 Chinook taking off from the main industrial center of the city and proceed to head to the north.

"The Belkan chopper is leaving the battlefront. Looks like they're running scared." said Eagle Eye with somewhat of chuckle.

"We've got MIG-29s!" said one of the mercenaries to Cipher, who whipped his head around and spotted the group of four Fulcrums approaching their position, intent on shooting them down.

"Abandon Area 2! Reposition the battlefront immediately!" shouted a Belkan soldier from within the city he grunted as if someone had beat him over the head with a weapon.

"The Belkans are running! Now for the other sectors!" shouted a civilian through the Belkan's radio, Cipher and Larry becoming shocked as they started to hear church bells ringing throughout the city, their heavenly song the sound of freedom.

"Will you look at that." said Cipher with a smile as he did a flyby over the city and saw the people on the streets cheering and waving their arms up at his plane as he passed by, the crumpled forms of Belkan soldiers littering the streets in some areas as their remaining forces retreated to the third sector.

"Sector 2 is clear, continue on to Sector 3. We've almost won!" urged on Eagle Eye as Cipher and Larry's group regrouped and pressed on to the third district just as the allied Osean tank division broke through the outer edge of Directus and began a charge towards the city itself under a blanket of artillery and gunfire from within the city streets and other defensive positions.

All of a sudden the fire faltered as Ustians, tired and angry of being oppressed for so long, assaulted the Belkan's flanks from all sides with anything they could get their hands on, from brooms to bricks to even the very weapons the Belkans carried.

"Fox 2!" said Cipher as he fired a missile and took out a Belkan Flanker in one swift blow, its flaming carcass striking the ground outside the city and bringing on a roaring cheer from the Ustians who were participating in the liberation of their city as the freedom bells rung unopposed

Larry's fighter swept over the city streets as the missile he fired decimated a Belkan SAM and a platoon of soldiers close by, his team following up with multiple kills on AA units stationed atop some of the buildings and in the city's outskirts. Osean M60 Pattons rolled through the streets, their machine guns and cannons totally wiping out any Belkan force they spotted while soldiers and civilians ran and fought side by side, and soon enough, the Belkan forces were driven out of the third sector and back once more into the fourth sector, which was already starting to face civilian attacks.

"What? We've lost Sector 3?! What the hell is that ringing?!" said a Belkan soldier frantically while one of the Ustian mercenaries flying in Larry's group sighed as he heard the freedom bells ringing throughout the city sectors.

"That sound takes me back."

He quickly dismissed the memories to destroy an APC trying to escape the city, not even caring about the lives inside its metal husk he just incinerated in fire.

"The enemy is attacking without mercy!"

They continued on to the fourth sector and with the same flawless lethality they've exhibited since the start of the operation, Cipher and Larry's groups totally wiped out the Belkan air and ground forces attempting to shoot them down and regain control of the city, but the Osean tanks combined with angry Ustians and skilled mercenary pilots meant that this battle was already lost.

"Belkan ground forces in Sector 4 have been eliminated! The people here are ringing their freedom bells!" said an Osean soldier from within the city as the Ustians cheered while a single man rung the bell in a nearby tower over and over, its heavenly ringing joining the harmonious sound of freedom over the city.

"We no longer have a means of escape! Mass together all troops and regroup!"

"Belkans get out! Get the hell out of our city!"

"Why is that bell ringing? What idiot could be doing that?"

"We're gonna take back the city!"

"This is Eagle Eye. It looks like all sectors have been liberated." reported Eagle Eye after Cipher destroyed the final Belkan fighter stationed in the air while the remaining Belkan soldiers in the city either threw down their arms and surrendered or began to escape the city, the victorious Ustian civilians cheering at their city's liberation.

"The city has fallen to the Allied Forces. Any soldiers left, open up an escape route!"

"We've lost...The Belkan Army...we've been defeated…"

"We got our city back!"

"They've got a reason to fight. This battle's over." said Larry with a grin as he and Cipher rejoined and flew over the city as the Ustian flag replaced the Belkan propaganda and flags that had crowded the city's skyline for so long, the denizens cheering as the two flew over the skyscrapers.

"You said it." replied Cipher as he slowed his airspeed down and waved down to the Ustians below, their cheers growing in intensity.

All of a sudden Eagle Eye interrupted their victory lap with an emergency update just as two enemy units appeared on radar approaching fast.

"Warning! Warning! Enemy reinforcements approaching!"

"What? Now?!" sputtered Larry while Cipher moaned.

"You gotta be kidding me!" he muttered as they picked up their speed and turned towards the vector of the approaching enemy reinforcements.

**\- GELB -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**5th Air Division, 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"Two craft approaching at high speed!" informed Ghost Eye as the enemy got closer and closer, Cipher's jaw tensing as he and Larry went to face the Belkan fighters alone.

"Let's take care of them." said Larry eagerly as the Belkan planes appeared on their HUDs, their fighter jets being identified as a jet they've never seen before, something called the SU-37.

"They're flying SU-37 Terminators, one of Belka's newest fighter jets. They're faster than anything we've come across,. Commence attack." ordered Eagle Eye as the SU-37 Terminators sped towards them at full speed.

"Fox 2!" announced Cipher as he fired two QAAMs at the first Terminator, and to his amazement the fighter's agility completely left the missile in the dust and started to go after him.

"These are skilled pilots. Be cautions Altman." said the enemy flight lead as he avoided a missile from Larry, his wingman the one chasing Cipher.

"Roger Gelb 1." he replied.

"These bastards are quick. That doesn't matter though, because I'm the king of these skies!" said Cipher with a grunt as he pulled his signature maneuver yet again and fired two missiles at Gelb 2, barely missing the nose of his Terminator as he quickly dodged the attack.

Cipher quickly got on his tail and began to chase him down, Larry standing toe to toe with Gelb 1 as well. All of a sudden Cipher's missile alert sirens went off and he broke away from Gelb 2 as missiles aimed *backwards on the Terminator were launched at him.

"What the hell?! They can fire missiles backwards?!" sputtered Cipher in shock before he regathered himself and continued the chase, being wary to look out for another volley of missiles fired at him again.

"Fox 2!" said Larry as he fired two missiles at Gelb 1, but the Belkan pilot performed a Pugachev's Cobra maneuver and easily evaded the missiles before attacking Larry head-on, the mercenary growing at his failed attack while dodging the Belkan.

"These guys are good, I'll give 'em that." grunted Cipher with begrudging respect as Gelb 2 dodged his attack again, and at that moment he realized what they had to do to defeat their faster opponents.

They were trained to expect their enemies next move and counter against it, he knew that much about the B.A.F. They were never trained against mercenaries though. Unexpected was their speciality.

"Larry! Merc-Up!" he shouted before he dove away from the chase with Gelb 2, prompting the Belkan to start the chase after him.

"Roger that, Buddy!" replied back Larry as he pressed his attack on Gelb 1, not even letting the Belkan breath without having his Eagle right up in his face.

The Belkan was completely focused on Larry at the moment, not even seeing Cipher coming right up on his tail end with a QAAM ready and waiting to be let loose on its prey. This was what Merc-Up was, and it was a move that Larry and Cipher perform flawlessly. Larry distracts the target and Cipher comes up right behind him and with extreme skill, the two fly nearly right on top of one another, their radar signatures morphing together into one, giving off the impression that there was still only one fighter on the chase.

"Fox 2!" said Larry right on cue as he fired two missiles at Gelb 1.

The Belkan, as expected, effortlessly dodged the missile by quickly banking to the right. What he didn't expect was to see Cipher fly right him, too close to dodge, and fire the QAAM he had armed right into his Terminator, splitting it in half with a glorious ball of fire shooting outward on its destruction.

"Gelb 1 is down! Am I the only one left?" questioned Gelb 1 before Larry and Cipher assaulted the Belkan pilot and hounded him until eventually Cipher scored the final blow and destroyed the Terminator in the middle of a sharp turn that made his plane stall for but a millisecond too long.

"Airspace threat eliminated. Galm Team, mission complete." said Eagle Eye calmly as Cipher let out a sigh of relief, Larry wiping the sweat off his brow while he took off the oxygen mask of his flight helmet an licked his dry lips to try and saturate them.

"We've taken back the city! Belka is no longer in control!" said a Ustian civilian in triumphant victory.

"With those Belkan finally gone, I can reopen my shop. And I'll make sure Directus is decorated to the brim with flowers!' said a female civilian after the first over the thunderous cheering and celebrations occurring throughout the entire city.

"Cipher, you hear those people screaming for freedom? That's where we come in!" said Larry with a smile before he dove down towards the city, the two pilots making yet another flyby over the city's central district, receiving another round of applause in gratitude of the liberation of Directus.

The bells of freedom continued to send out their glorious sound throughout the land, signalling the end of Belkan control and the liberation of the Republic of Ustio, now finally free for the first time since the beginning of the war.

"Directus is free of any threats now. This war's finally over now. Let's head back to base." said Larry as he and Cipher joined up with their allies over the final district of the city and made their way back to Valais Air Force Base.

'On May 13th, 1995...Ustio was finally liberated. The tide of the war was about to change dramatically.'

\- Belka's Ustio-branch headquarters has fallen. Directus has been liberated. I just recieved a vintage bottle of Chateau Boloise for the Galm Team. It's a hard to find cabernet. Perfect, I'd say, for a celebrating an occasion such as this.

A/N

_That day our sky fe||, the heavens split to create new skies._

_Weapons of Mass Destruction_

Stonehenge Type-0, Type-1, Type-5

Caliburn

\- II

Crin-

Zephir

\- II

Fortress -

The Citadel

Goliathan

O.L.D.S


	8. Far from Over

A/N LET THE FREEDOM BELLS RING! Ah I just love that moment when the citizens of Directus fight back to free their city. Badass is what I have to say about that! Now, however...is where Cipher and Larry, who thought the war was going to end with the liberation of Directus, find out the war is not only far from over...it's going to get a whole lot worse. (God bless those at Hoffnung…)

Chapter 7 - Far from Over

_For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either._

'The true nature of the war begins from this point forward. Accounts vary depending on the article and source. Everyone is a hero and a villain, and no one knows who is the victim and who is the aggressor. And what is peace? All questions commonly asked about any war in history. As the battlegrounds move to Belka…"He" is also thrust into the middle of this war. This is also where my interests shift from the war to him.'

\- Directus, Ustio -

\- May 15th, 1995 1234 hrs -

Cipher and Larry walked side by side in their military uniforms, crisp and clean with their squadron patches and numbers sewn onto the right sleeve of their airman's jacket, as they toured the capital of Ustio. Everywhere they went, the people recognized their numbers as the ones painted on the two Eagles that had flown over their city to drive out the Belkans.

"This place is so lively. I can't even begin to imagine how it was while the Belkans were here." said Larry with a smile as he saw the Ustio flag hung everywhere there was space for it.

"But, aren't you Belkan too?" asked Cipher in a low enough voice to where no one could overhear him.

"Yes, but not like the one's we've been fighting." he replied with a nod before he remembered something.

"You know...I never really asked where you were from Cipher. I don't know your name, so I got to at least know where you're from." he said as he glanced over at Cipher, who thought over the question for a moment before shrugging.

"That is true...oh all right. I'm from Osea." said Cipher casually, Larry narrowing his eyes at him for a second in doubt.

"Is that the truth?"

"More or less. I've lived there once before." said Cipher with a smug grin, Larry rolling his eyes before he chuckled.

"I guess that counts." he said before they walked into a local bar and were instantly greeted by a round of applause from the people inside.

"Please, hold the applause. We don't deserve this much praise, I mean, you all helped out too you know." said Cipher as he waved them down, motioning to the bartender specifically since he had his arm in a sling due to the bullet wound in his shoulder from a scuffle with a Belkan soldier.

"Nah, you two deserve a couple of drinks. It's on the house." the bartender said with a warm smile, Cipher shrugging before they approached the bar and ordered a couple of drinks.

"So, now that this war is over, where do you think we should go?" asked Cipher as he looked at Larry after taking a sip of his drink, his wingman thinking for a moment before shrugging.

"I don't know to be honest."

"I knew I would find you guys here!"

Cipher and Larry turned to see Ferguson, one of the Ustian mercenaries that flew with them during the liberation of Directus, walk into the bar and join them while ordering himself a drink as well.

"What's up?" asked Cipher after taking another sip of beer.

"Nothing much. Glad to see this place so lively now." he replied.

"Yeah, it's a shame we won't be here any longer." said Larry regretfully, Ferguson looking at him with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"Well now that Ustio's been liberated, the war's pretty much over. There's nothing else to to gain." he said before he himself lifted the beer bottle he held in his hand to his lips and drank some of it.

"You haven't heard?"

Upon those three words, Cipher and Larry were both struck odd and the two looked at him with their eyebrows raised.

"The Allied Forces are planning an operation that's going into Belka. They say its an inspection for any nuclear weapons Belka might be hiding, but we all know that's its just a ruse to cover up an attack on Belka's southern defense line. This war's far from over." explained Ferguson, Larry's spirits and optimistic nature slowly fading away with Cipher's, the two pilots glancing at each other with worried expressions on their faces.

"What's it called?" asked Larry with a slight tinge of worry in his voice.

"Operation: Hell Bound."

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- 1300 hrs -

"I can't believe it. We're invading Belka…." said Larry as he and Cipher walked the outside edge of the runway, contemplating over the operation they had just heard about just thirty minutes prior.

"Yeah, I know. Well, I guess we just keep doing what we do and earn a lot of money while doing it." said Cipher with a grin, the expression falling when Larry scowled at him.

"But what is there to gain? We've regained Ustio and the other lands Belka invaded with their blitzkrieg, shouldn't the war be over?" asked Larry as he threw his arms up into the air as if wanting the world to answer.

"I don't know Larry. There's got to be a legitimate reason as to why the Allied Forces are going to push into Belkan territory. Probably just a scare tactic saying "We can invade your land just like you did to us." and soon enough, Belka will back off and surrender and everything will go back to what it used to be." said Cipher reassuringly, Larry lowering his arms and calming himself down.

"Yeah...you might be right. I just hope this operation really doesn't put us on a path to hell…"


	9. Bastion

A/N Here we go with Operation: Hell Bound, the "nuclear Inspection" on the ancient turned modern battle fortress Glatisant. On Ace difficulty, the rage I had on trying to fly through all that damn flak from the AA towers and other shit like that just made me say "Fuck it, you're all gonna get MPBMs to the face!" and I flew the Morgan and raped them all. Serves them right, those Belkan bastards. And I'm gonna make sure to give our boys here in this chapter a helluva fun time. Ha, otta love sarcasm.

Chapter 8 - Bastion

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

"Intelligence reports that Belka is developing nuclear arms and a new weapon codenamed V2, a weapon of mass destruction. The Allied Forces' top brass have decided to send troops across the Hydrian Line into Belka to check for nuclear arms and secure resource interests." started the Base Commander, Cipher and Larry sighing heavily as they listened to the briefing's beginning on the mission they were dreading.

A heavily mountainous region appeared on screen and zoomed in on one section populated by Belkan forces organized into five different sectors on the highest points.

"Centered on the ruined base of Glatisant, the Hydrian Line, Belka's long line of defence, stretches seven hundred kilometers from Osea's southern border to the border of Sapin. Situated at the peak of Mt. Ivrea, the ruins of Glatisant have been transformed into a modern base with anti-aircraft artillery and a powerful defence system. The Galm Team's mission is to launch an aerial strike on Glatisant, opening the door to Belka for our ground troops."

"_Fantastic...an overpowered fortress._" thought Cipher with a frown before he glanced over at Larry and saw he had the same expression as him on his face.

"In all probability, this will be an extended operation. You will be able to refuel during the latter half of the mission. If you're low on fuel or ammunition, temporarily withdraw from the battle and return to base. Good luck."

\- Mt. Ivrea, Principality of Belka -

\- 017'29'13"N 231'57'02"E -

\- May 17, 1995 1620 hrs -

"Nuclear inspection, huh? What a joke…" said Larry while rolling his eyes, Cipher glancing up at his friend as they flew through cloudy skies over the Mt. Ivrea mountain range.

The two of them led a giant squadron of mercenary, Osean, and Sapinish pilots on an aerial attack on the fortress of Glatisant, while coming in from the west during the mission interval ,when it was estimated most of the pilots would leave to rearm and refuel, an allied bomber squadron would bomb specific targets to limit its defense capabilities. It was going to be a long day.

"Fire away at Glatisant. Your job this time is to take out their defence mechanisms. A "return line" is located on the south side of the operation airspace. All planes can pass over this line whenever they need to resupply. Mission start!" ordered Eagle Eye as the air forces began a sharp descent into a canyon valley below them littered with the remains and grandiose structures of ancient times.

Suddenly a flare was launched out of the ruins and instantly a storm of gunfire and SAM missiles were launched right at them, the fortress coming to life in the blink of an eye.

"They're here. Commence firing!" ordered a Belkan soldier as the Allied Forces began their attack on the first section of Glatisant known as Sector A.

"There's aircraft approaches built into the mountain side! Fire a missile into the hole to cave them in!" said an Osean pilot when he spotted them, Cipher and Larry directing their attention to them after the ground forces stationed in the canyon were wiped out.

Cipher fired a missile into one of the approaches and a plume of fire rushed out from within before the concrete structure caved in on itself, Larry doing the same to one on the other side of the hill.

Atop the mountain however was another set of ruins, a castle, bolstering a significant number of anti-air defense systems cast out in a close nit array that covered the small castle.

"Fox 1!" said Larry before firing a missile at a SAM that was destroyed as he flew by, a streak of gunfire following behind him that scraped his left wing.

"Damn, these guys aren't messing around!" he cursed as he flew out of the range of the Belkan SAMs.

"It's hell out here, above and below." said a Ustian mercenary as he barely avoided a swarm of bullets after eliminating one of the AA guns stationed on the ancient castle.

"I'm hit, going down!" said an Osean pilot in terror before his radio cut out as his plane burst into flames when a second SAM missile struck its underside.

"Dammit!" cursed Cipher before he avoided a SAM missile that had been tracking him for a while and pressed his attack on the castle, dropping two of his UGBs in the process, the large weapons tearing two massive holes in the castle while destroying an AA gun and a SAM vehicle.

Finally Larry took out the last defensive weapon and their forces regrouped, two of their allies having been shot down in the initial attack on the first sector.

"This is Area Gate! A fire's broken out inside!"

"Sector A's been taken care of. Head for the other sectors." ordered Eagle Eye after their forces regrouped and CIpher led them down into another valley past the first sector, the allied squadron encountering small bands of AA guns in isolated sections of ruins along the way to the centermost sector of Glatisant, Sector, home to the nerve center and control tower of the entire fortress.

If they took that out, the destruction of the other sectors would become a lot easier.

"Check that out. It took a helluva lot of gunfire to make those holes." said an Osean pilot as they passed by a group of downed fighter aircraft that looked like swiss cheese.

"Plane wrecks. Glatisant must've shot 'em down here." said a Ustian mercenary in a aloof tone.

"Poor unfortunate bastards. Alright, the next sector is coming up. Get ready." said Cipher as they egressed slow and steady towards the next sector, the pilots gulping down some saliva as they spotted the massive tower bristling with flak cannons that was the nerve center of the entire fortress.

Even around it there were other sections of the once mighty Belkan fortress that contained AA guns and SAM systems, on the mountain on all sides were pillboxes built into the rocky surface, and above the control tower was a squadron of Belkan MIG-29 Fulcrums. They knew they were coming after Area Gate's fall.

"Incoming enemy forces. Down them all!" ordered a Belkan soldier from within the control tower as its 88mm flak cannons were aimed down at them and they began to fire high-explosive shells that detonated in clouds of black smoke all around them.

"Duck and weave!" yelled Larry as they began to swerve in any direction possible to avoid the flak cannons deadly payload.

Cipher reached the end of the valley first and after destroying the pillbox that was built into the face of the mountain first, he picked his nose up and climbed at high speeds, rushing past the Belkan ground forces, distracting them long enough for his allies to split off from the valley and spread out over the sector of Glatisant to engage all forces.

"Damn that flak is annoying as hell!" cursed Larry as he fired a missile at the control tower and took out one section of the massive stone structure, but AA and flak cannon fire continued to hound him.

"They must hate our guts to put up something like this." said a Sapinish pilot before he quickly jerked the flight stick to the right to avoid an attack by a Belkan MIG-29, the fighters coming down from their vantage point to attack the allied pilots.

"Fox 2!" shouted Cipher as he followed them down after his steep climb and took down two MIG-29s before spinning through a storm of gunfire from the control tower, his bones rattling as he felt his Eagle take some damage.

"Larry, use your bombs on that control tower! I'll follow up behind you!" yelled Cipher as he got out of range and used the opportunity to take out a small group of SAMs stationed at some ruins near the control tower's range of attack.

"Roger Cipher!" replied Larry back quickly as he got the control tower's lower levels in his pipe and dropped two UGBs, the explosions shooting out from their impact capturing some Belkan soldiers in its fiery grasp while the entire tower shook violently, some of its flak cannons having been caught in the explosions.

"Dive bomb! Hahahahaha!" laughed Cipher maniacally as he made another steep climb and flipped over backwards to fly straight down to attack the control tower from straight above, one area where the flak cannons couldn't reach him.

He dropped his two bombs and quickly flew away to let the downward velocity of the bombs carry them at high speeds straight through the ceiling of the first level of the tower, and in a massive fiery explosion that shot outwards from the windows of the tower, its stone and rebar supported structure buckling under the pressure and soon enough the entire tower collapsed in on itself, spreading a large plume of smoke and dust out over the area.

With that, the rest of the forces stationed there were taken care of quickly, allowing the pilots a short moment of reprieve from the battle as another squadron of Osean planes flew in from the south to replace their fallen comrades.

"Status report! The Area Wall is destroyed! Cooperate with all sectors to stop the Allied Forces!"

"I won't let them pass the Glatisant! Keep the Allied Forces out!"

"Around thirty percent of enemy forces are under our control. Follow the Galm Team!" said a Osean pilot before they spread out to cover the last three sectors, one in the southwest, one in the northwest, and another in the northeast.

"Sector E has been stripped of all functions. Well done." reported Eagle Eye as the allied forces continued the attack while more forces started to fly in and out of the airspace for rearmament and refueling.

Cipher and Larry decided to go alone at the sector in the southeast, and on the way they came along a area occupied by no enemy forces except for a few soldiers and some fuel tanks most likely filled with the flammable liquid the world has come to love. Oil.

"Let's leave 'em be." said Cipher as they passed by over the fuel tanks and spared the lives of the soldiers there, the two pilots instead going towards a small group of ruins occupied by a small force of AA guns and SAMs.

"So this is the mighty Glatisant?" questioned Larry with a smirk as they wiped the floor with the Belkan forces and continued on to their target, Cipher glancing at his ammo counter and noting to himself that he had half of his payload left.

Thier target must've anticipated their arrival because soon enough, two squadrons of SU-27 Flankers and F-15C Eagles met them halfway to their sector, the three squadrons converging on one another in a battle of wits.

Cipher immediately downed two of their Flankers and became their prime target, allowing Larry to come up behind them as they were chasing Cipher and shoot them down without any trouble at all.

"Damn them, their pilots are good! Retreat back to Area Castle." cursed a Belkan pilot fighting against Cipher and Larry, the mercenary pilots confident they would win but not too cocky.

"Let your guard down for a second and you'll get shot to pieces." cautioned Larry to Cipher, who rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks to those damn AA and Flak guns those Belkan had though that's pretty much already happened." he replied back as the other fighters withdrew from the fight to return back to their allies, Cipher and Larry right on their tails.

As they got closer, a larger castle than the one at Sector A appeared in the distance, its two gigantic ramparts stuffed full with AA defenses while the surrounding ruins were outfitted with SAMs and the skies had several AH-64 Apache helicopters and the remaining fighter planes that had ambushed them.

"You ready Larry?" asked Cipher as he steeled his nerves and locked his eyes on his target.

"Roger. Let's get 'em." replied back Larry before the two pilots split up and attacked the Belkan installations from two sides.

Cipher went after the AH-64s first, since they were easy targets, and laughed at their futile attempts to shoot him down before a single missile from his Eagle shattered their fragile frames and reduced them to fire and smoke. He heard bullets streaking past the canopy as he blew past one of the ramparts of the castle and deduced that they were just like the control tower. Attacks from above would offer a safe haven from their deadly defenses.

"*First we have to take care of the other enemies first." he thought before he twist his plane to the right to juke a MIG-29 following him and attacked a group of AA guns with a UGB and a pair of missiles.

"How's it going on your end there Buddy?" he asked aloud as he engaged some of the Belkan fighters, Larry doing his part after taking care of the rest of the lingering forces around the large Belkan castle.

"Fine, fine. These guys are easy enough."

The two pilots finished the air battle with the Belkan fighters and after checking their planes for any damages, which they already knew they had some, they engaged the two ramparts of the Belkan castle, ducking and weaving through its deadly arc of fire to attack it with bombs and missiles. However the massive stone structures were stronger than the control tower and would not fall easily.

"What kind of stone did they use when they built this fortress? It's not even budging!" growled Cipher as he felt his plane rattle as more bullets struck it after he flew away from an attack run on the eastern rampart, his two UGBs striking the stone structure and causing two massive fireballs to engulf some of the AA guns within its walls.

"Even in ancient times, Belka still had exceptional engineering skills." said Larry in matter-of-fact tone, Cipher hunching over and frowning a little at the obvious answer.

"Yeah, no shit." he replied before he attacked the eastern rampart again, this time from up above so as to avoid its AA weapons, and dropped two bombs once more on its ceiling.

He grinned as the bombs, like before, smashed right through the weaker stone ceiling and filled the first few floors full of fire and smoke that incinerated anything that it touched, the rampart becoming inoperable after that attack.

Larry performed the same attack on the other rampart and after its destruction, that sector was totally annihilated. not a single Belkan machine left to defend it.

"This is Area Castle! All functions are down! Most of our troops have fallen!" announced a Belkan soldier from within the ancient castle as smoke clouds were floating out of the destroyed ramparts.

"No more attacks are coming from Sector B. All forces in the air, retreat from the airspace to restock and refuel as allied bombers get their payloads dropped on surviving Belkan installations." ordered Eagle Eye, Cipher and Larry letting out a sigh of relief as they left the combat airspace first and gunned it full speed towards their home base to restock.

"You're cleared to land." said the control tower operator as Cipher and Larry approached the landing strip at Valais Air Force Base.

They landed their planes and the ground crew marveled at how they could've been able to fly their planes back this far, a fact the two pilots didn't see until they looked out of their plane and saw all of the bullet holes in their wings and fuselage.

"The mechanics are gonna have fun replacing this." snickered Cipher as he climbed back into his plane and closed the glass canopy cover when a member of the ground crew patted the nose of the plane, signalling he had full ammunition and a maxed out payload.

As their allies began their landings, Cipher and Larry took off from the base and rushed back to the frontlines in times to witness the final bombings on Sector C by allied B-1B Lancers.

"Sector C has been taken out. 80% of enemy forces are under our control. It's time to rock and roll! All planes, eliminate Glatisant!" said Eagle Eye enthusiastically as the allied bomber force retreated from the airspace, the fighters in the air all converging on the last section of Glatisant, Sector D, otherwise known by the Belkan's as Area Tower.

"Area Garden's been destroyed! All forces congregate at Area Tower and halt the Allied Forces!"

Cipher and Larry rejoined their Osean and Ustian comrades on the final push from Area Garden, which was Glatisant's makeshift airfield, to Sector D, and when they got within viewing distance of it, they were shocked to see so many targets in one area. The fortress, in a final gamble to stop them here and now, had gathered every soldier and weapon they had left and stuffed them into two gigantic towers stretching up from the ruins below and the surrounding area. Out of Glatisant's impressive size, this one area was a fortress in its own.

"Oh shit…" murmured Cipher in anxiety as they approached the final sector, the flak guns stationed in the two giant towers spotting them and opening fire, taking several of the pilots down on their attack run towards them.

"Gah! I'm going down!"

"Shit my wing's been blown off!"

The screams of their already dead comrades haunted Cipher and Larry for just a moment before they focused on the two towers first and fired two missiles each at the middle section, the stone getting blasted apart along with the weapons inside, but still the tower's stood mighty and tall.

"Shoot 'em down! Shoot all of them down!" ordered a Belkan soldier inside the tower as flak and AA rounds peppered the skies in an attempt to shoot down any allied aircraft that came into sight.

"Aim your bombs at the base of the tower! If we cut off the support, the whole thing will crumble!" said an OSean pilot as his squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles dove down below an arc of AA fire from the tower and released several GBUs that glided towards their target at the base of the tower and exploded on impact, the massively tall stone structure wobbling for a bit, but it settled down after a few seconds after teetering on the edge of total collapse.

I "I've got it! Cover me!" said Larry as he turned his plane down towards the base of that tower under heavy enemy fire and skillfully aimed his pipe right at the other side of the impacted zone, intending to destroy both sides of the tower's base so it will collapse in on itself.

"Bombs away!" he announced before he flew away from the tower's base after he released the bomb.

After a few seconds of delay, the bomb hit its mark and engulfed the base of the tower in fire and smoke, the stone cracking under the pressure and in another few short moments, the entire structure began to fall back towards the earth.

"The walls are closing in! It's all over for us!" yelled a Belkan soldier in panic from inside the tower as he crashed down on the ruins in a massive plume of smoke that engulfed some of the defences based around them.

"Tower 1 is down! Don't let them destroy Tower 2!"

"Aim for the base!" said Cipher as he and other pilots started a quick descent towards the base of the second tower under heavy fire from SAMs and other anti-air weapons.

One of the planes on Cipher's right, an Ustian mercenary, became a fireball after it was struck by a flak round dead square in the nose of the plane, Cipher and the other pilot on his left swerving away after dropping two bombs that fell towards the tower's base and exploded, the tower shuddering in response.

"This'll be a springboard to nuclear inspections. We've gotta sink this fortress!"

"Abandon Anti-Aircraft Bunker 4! There's nothing of use there now!"

"It doesn't look like the Allied Forces are planning to retreat, no matter how many of their planes we shoot down!"

"Those two Eagles, the ones with the colored wings! Their leading the attacks!"

"Fox two!" said Larry as he fired a missile at the base of the second tower and in an instant, it was the straw that broke the camels back.

The gigantic tower teetered over the edge and fell slowly towards the earth from the left, its massive form smashing anything underneath it to dust, while anyone or anything inside was most likely pulverized on impact.

After the destruction of the two towers, finishing off the remaining Belkan forces in the area round them was almost too easy, and soon enough the entire fortress of Glatisant was destroyed, opening the gate to South Belka.

"Glatisant's attack powers have been neutralized. All planes, return to base." said Eagle Eye as their remaining forces regathered just as new ones appeared from the east to establish air superiority.

Suddenly the sky lit up for a brief moment and Larry and Cipher noticed the slight change in lighting when it happened.

"Did something just flash?" he asked, Cipher shrugging when he saw Larry look over at him from his plane.

If the two pilots had paid attention to their radars, they would've noticed that after the brief flash of light filled up the skies, the allied squadrons that had been approaching from the east had vanished, without a trace.

\- The operation was a success. Glatisant has fallen. The Allied Forces have broken through the Hydrian Line, bringing the battle to Belka. I must inform you, however, that while you were on your mission, we received a report that the squadron attacking from Osea's border was wiped out by a mysterious attack


	10. Merlon

Now the Allied Forces are pushing into South Belka, thanks to the destruction of Glatisant. Our heroes though in this chapter will get to have a close encounter of the "laser" kind and considering that if I were in Cipher/Larry's position in this chapter, I would DEFINITELY be scared shitless as well. So I made sure to make them very terrified and frantic in this chapter.. And on another note, I just finished reading the book "Brilliance" by Marcus Sakey, and it was AMAZING, probably the best book I've ever read. I'm gonna get the sequel soon, called "A New World". I highly recommend all of you read it.

Chapter 9 - Merlon

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

\- Valais Air Force Base -

H- May 19th, 1995 1400 hrs -

"You've gotta admit, that was a pretty intense mission Larry." said Cipher as the two relaxed in their hangar with their Eagles, Larry rolling his eyes and grinning.

"Yeah, I guess." he replied about the Glatisant mission before he looked up at their new and freshly painted Eagles, the ones they had used over the Belkan fortress damaged beyond repair.

In fact, the mechanics had no idea as to how they were able to maintain flight capabilities with the damage their fighters had sustained from all the AA and flak fire being sent their way.

"Yo, guys!"

Cipher and Larry glanced at the open hangar doors and spotted one of their mercenary friends waving them over to him.

"We've got another mission. We're going further into Belka." he said before hustling towards the base, Larry glancing over at Cipher with a worried expression on his face, Cipher only shrugging at him.

They got up and followed the mercenary back to the briefing room and they settled themselves in for another briefing from the Base Commander about their next operation.

"Belka's second line of defence stretched across the Schayne Plains in the central region of southern Belka. Centered on two anti-aircraft camps, this line blocks our refueling unit's air route, and is already delaying our military plans. This operation will consist of attacks on enemy ground troops, and engagements with enemy fighters." he began as the screen showed a geographical image of the Schayne Plains region, highlighting two enemy positions on either side of a winding river.

Cipher guessed those were the two anti-aircraft camps the Base Commander had specified and as soon as he saw them along with a group of fighters flying over the river he suspected that this would be an operation similar to Offensive Campaign No. 4101, with multiple groups taking on different parts of the Belkan force.

"There will be three squadrons in total. You can decide which one to accompany."

"_I knew it._" thought Cipher with a smirk as the first section of Belkan troops, centered on the northwest camp in the region, appeared on screen.

"Alpha Team will be responsible for destroying enemy ground ordnance. Beta Team's job will be to eliminate air resistance, and destroying enemy ground ordnance. Theta Team will eliminate air resistance and establish total air superiority over the entire area. Escort Allied transport craft after all three missions have been completed. That is all." finished the Base Commander before he dismissed the pilots.

"Belka's not backing down. What's going on?" whispered Larry to Cipher as they exited the briefing room last behind their friends.

"I don't know. I guess they're not planning on surrendering anytime soon. And neither are the Allied Forces." replied back Cipher in a low voice tinged with worry as they left the base to go for their planes.

When they were getting ready for takeoff, Cipher looked to his left and raised an eyebrow in confusion as he saw the ground crew and some of the mechanics watching and or waving at their departure.

He slowly waved back before he gunned the engines and took off from Valais behind Larry, the two pilots heading out for South Belka.

\- Schayne Plains, Southern Belka -

\- 020'14'10"N 229'02'31"E -

\- May 19th, 1995 1530 hrs -

Cipher and Larry entered the airspace first and their radios instantly exploded with the chatter of their allies that were attacking Belka's ground positions at the northern and southern ends of the river running through the Schayne Plains.

They were a part of Theta Team, the last group to enter the airspace and the one tasked with acquiring air superiority over the plains and afterwards, escort allied transport craft into the area.

"Hey Cipher, you hear me? Just look at the view. There's not much difference between those countries from up here." said Larry as he looked down at the peaceful plains below, the areas where the fighting were not even close to them.

"Yeah, I know. Not many people get to experience what we see on a daily basis."

"Belkan fighters approaching. Shoot them down an secure air superiority." ordered Eagle Eye, several Belkan fighters making their appearance.

Their positions were spread out across the Schayne Plains, which meant they would have to disperse their forces the same way to be sure they would down all the Belkan fighters in the area.

"Alright people, I don't want a single Belkan fighter left in the air. Let's go."

"And so I ordered everyone to spread out and go after each concentration of Belkan fighters and take them down. Larry and I stuck together as usual and did our normal thing." said Cipher as he retold to Jasper his mission over the Schayne Plains, the latter continuing to listen intently.

It was around one o'clock, and he had talking to him ever since he woke up that day at nine. It was exhausting.

"Alright Bud, I gotta take a break for a few. Will you be good all by yourself while I'm gone?" asked Cipher as he picked up Jasper and set him down on his feet beside his chair.

He nodded vigorously and went up to his room, Cipher pulling himself up from his recliner and grabbing his phone sitting on the table, speed-dialing the first contact.

"Hey James, ready to fish?"

Thirty minutes later James and Cipher were setting up shop at a large lake on the outskirts of Anfang, their fishing rods lying in the grass prepped for use.

"Heh, it's hard to imagine that just a few days before there was a war going on." chuckled James as he retrieved his rod and looked it over once more.

"And here we are, fishing like some old geezers.

"We are old, Cipher. I'm 48."

"40 over here. Jeez, don't remind me." said Cipher with a smile as he picked his own rod up and threw his line out.

"So, what have you been doing? How's the wife?" he asked after a short span of silence between the two old friends.

"Just keeping myself busy unpacking and stuff. Oh and Natalie? Oh, Nat's doing fine. You?"

"Been storytelling to my son. It's exhausting but it makes me happy to see how interested he is the stories I tell."

"About what?" asked James while glancing over at him.

"What I did in the Belkan War." said Cipher, James' expression becoming grim.

"Oh. Where are you?"

"The Schayne Plains mission, Operation Dynamo. And don't worry James, Jasper's very mature for his age. He knows about the natural processes of life and everything else there is to do about it."

"Did he…?"

"Yeah, he figured it out as soon as I started. It surprised me too, but I know he's torn up inside because of it."

"He's a trooper. So...the Schayne Plains huh?" asked James with a small grin.

"Yeah...I'm afraid though for when we get to...you know…"

"Right…"

After fishing for another good hour, sharing small talk once or twice, they couldn't catch anything and decided to pack up and head back. They climbed into Cipher's camaro and drove off from the lake, snaking through the dense trees of the forests outside Anfang until they arrived in the city from a dirt path. They drove down its roads towards James' house first.

He dropped him off and said goodbye before he drove out of the small neighborhood at a slow pace and planned the most direct route back to his house, but then decided against it for a more scenic route.

Anfang was tourist town for Belka, only a couple miles away from the capital, Dinsmark, and even though its population increased and decreased constantly as people from all over the Osean Continent, from the Osean Federation, Ustio and Sapin to see what Belka looked like back in its glory days, it gave off that small town feeling of being at home wherever you were. Everyone knew you and you knew everyone. And on those days when everyone was wanting to relax, they'd retire for a few hours to the glorious beach the coastal town sported, with its glistening waves and sparkling sand untainted by human waste.

As he passed said beach, Cipher couldn't help but smile as the memory of two young people playing in the shallow water at sunset, their laughter making them forget about all of their problems, even if it was just for a short while.

"_That was so long ago…_" he thought looked at the sun above and let out a deep sigh.

He pulled his car into the beach's parking lot and got out, heading towards the pier.

He walked down the sand with his shoes and socks off and approached one of the posts supporting the pier, trying to find another memory from that time. It took him a while, but he finally found it, etched into the wooden surface of the post with a knife.

It was a heart, and inside it said 'Liz+Alek Till then end of time'.

He placed his palm against its rough surface and couldn't stop himself from remembering all the times he had spent with her, Elizabeth, from that moment on that very beach to the day of their marriage, to him leaving to fight in the Estovakian Civil War, and then to the day he would never forget...April 4th...when his entire world came crashing down with the sound of a gunshot.

He shuddered and couldn't stop his emotions from coming out, so the only thing he could do was stand there with his hand planted on that heart, his other hand covering his face to hide the fact that he was crying his eyes out.  
He sucked it up after a minute and looked at the heart again, sniffing once before he smiled and walked away from it, glad that no one had dared disturb it.

After climbing back into his car, he got back on the road and drove the rest of the way to his home, going right back into storytelling.

"Something's not right. The Belkan's should be able to send out more fighters than this." said Larry as he and Cipher shot down a pair of Belkan Tomcats, reducing their numbers to only a handful of aircraft.

"I know. Something *is a little off here, so be prepared for anything." replied Cipher.

After chasing down the remaining Belkan fighters, they reformed with their allies and changed their heading to the southeast.

"All enemy fighters have been shot down. Threat level reduced to 2. Galm Team, cover our transport planes until they're able to land." ordered Eagle Eye.

Cipher, Larry, their mercenary companions and the Allied pilots flying with them travelled to the meeting point at the southeastern edge of the airspace to wait. They didn't have to wait long.  
"There they are. The Allied transport planes."

Five massive C5 Galaxies appeared from behind a cloud and they distributed themselves around the4 squadron to flank them from all sides on their route to the airfield at the area Beta Team cleared out on the northeastern side of the Schayne Plains.

"Thanks for securing air superiority."

"No problem."

They flew in silence for a minute, making it to the center of the operation airspace when all of a sudden, Cipher and Larry's cockpits brightened as the sky above them lit up with a blue hue.

"What was that? Something flashed again!" said Larry before from the sky, as if it came down from heaven itself, a massive beam of blue light short down at them.

It passed through the three C-5s at the head of the transport squadron and all they could was watch in horror as fire spewed out from the sides, the gigantic planes separating into two, severed halves.

The people and vehicles inside their bellies had either been vaporized when the beam passed over them or as the plane split apart they were falling out of them to their painful and abrupt deaths when they finally hit the ground.

"Jesus CHRIST!" yelled Cipher in total shock.

"What the hell was that?! Where did that attack come from?!"

As they all spread apart, not sure of what to do, Larry attempted to figure out what the hell really just happened, and more importantly, what the hell that caused it.

"What the hell happened?! AWACS, what's going on?" he asked loudly, still startled from the sudden surprise attack from _something_.

"Hold on! Incoming emergency message from Allied Operations HQ! 'Enemy launching long range attacks. Current airspace is within range.'"

"Now you tell us? Where should we fly?"

Cipher jumped as the sky lit up again and he glanced over his shoulder to see the last two transport planes get caught in the beam's attack and just like its predecessor, they were cut in half and utterly destroyed, the men and or women inside having their fates decided right then and there.

"Transmitting projected enemy targeting coordinates. All units, mevade attacks and withdraw from the airspace."

"Here comes an attack, look out!"

A red spot popped up on radar to the west of Cipher and Larry, the two watching as the blue beam raced across the ground and a group of Allied fighters, the vegetation caught within it getting vaporized while a scar was left in its wake.

"Plane 4 just vanished! Allied planes are disappearing from radar!"

"Plane 6 is gone too!"

"This is bad, _way_ bad! I'm outta here!"

"I agree with you there Larry. Everyone get outta here!" said Cipher frantically as he gunned it towards the southern edge of the airspace.

All of a sudden the radar lit up red and Cipher pulled back on the joystick on instinct and moved away just in time as the beam came down from the heavens right in front of him.

"Holy shit!"

Larry swerved away to avoid the laser as he raced towards him and barely managed to dodge its destructive might, and after he cleared it he sped on after Cipher, who was pushing his plane to the limit to try and escape the airspace and get away from whatever was firing at them.

A short while after, they had to narrowly avoid another dance with instant death from the beam, and after he dodged it, Cipher put two and two together and figured out a pattern.

As soon as the beam faded away Cipher started to count up in his head.

"_One...two...three…_"

When he hit twelve, he pulled back on the joystick and slowed his airspeed down to almost a crawl so as to avoid the beam coming at him from his left.

"Larry, that beam's fired every twelve seconds! Gun it during then and when you hit twelve, slow down fast and hope to *god you don't hit that thing!" he yelled while speeding up after the beam dissipated.

"Roger!"

Larry followed his orders and they repeated the process twice more, speeding up for eleven seconds and coming to almost a complete stop on twelve, before the southern edge of the combat airspace appeared on radar as their saving grace.

"You're almost out of the operation airspace. Stay on course to the south."

"Come on, make it, dammit!" grunted Larry as their Eagles reached their top speed and when Cipher counted twelve, they blew over the southern edge of the airspace just as the beam came down from the sky and barely missed the back of their jets by mere _inches_.

Cipher immediately let out the breath he had been holding and after making sure her was still alive, began to laugh hysterically and uncontrollably, his entire body quaking with adrenaline and pure fear and relief of surviving the ordeal.

"Holy...shit. Fuck. That." he wheezed as he took in gallons of air and pulled off his oxygen mask.

"Yeah...let's hope to god that never happens again…" said Larry with a just as frantic tone in his voice.

"You're out of the danger zone. Galm Team, return to base." said Eagle Eye to them both, bringing them back to reality.

"Jeez, you guys made it out? That beam was all over your asses." said a mercenary pilot that had escaped the airspace before them along with his squadron.

"We're _that_ irresistible." said Cipher with a weak laugh.

They joined up with them and any other pilots who survived the unexpected attack and made the journey back to Ustio with their nerves still on edge.

"Welcome back." said the control tower operator as they lowered their landing gear and began to land at Valais.

'That was a bad nightmare. We lost several of our members. Mercenaries like us are disposable to the guys in charge. But in the end...we survived.'

\- The mission objectives were achieved, but our forces were dealt a heavy blow by newfound enemy laser ordnance, a terrifying new weapon of destruction. Our country must put an end to this war. If not, I fear the war will put an end to us.


	11. A Reason to Fight

And here we go, delving into a filler chapter that is bound to catch your attention. I wasn't sure when this could've happened in the game itself, so I just decided to put it here. I've finished writing some of the final chapters for my Ace Combat Infinity based fanfic, and even though they're are merely conceptual, I had a buddy of mine who's a fellow Ace Combat fan and he said that they were amazing. All I can say is that SHIT WILL GO DOWN. Can't wait for you guys to read them.

Chapter 10 - A Reason to Fight

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- May 21st, 1995 1000 hrs -

"I've got to go somewhere."

Cipher and Larry looked at one another, confused after hearing each other say the same thing.

"You first." said Cipher courteously.

"I need to go meet some friends of mine. I'll be back later today." said Larry in one breath, Cipher examining him for a few seconds before nodding in approval.

"Alright. I'll be going somewhere too. I'm still a bit on edge from that last mission so I'm going to go relax for a bit." he said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"See you later then, Buddy." said Larry with a smile as Cipher walked off towards a helicopter waiting to transport him to Directus.

Larry stood where he was and waited until the helicopter lifted itself up off the tarmac and once it got far enough away, his smile faded and he sulked off towards their hangar to retrieve his jet.

He climbed in and rolled out through the entrance, and after a quick chat with the control tower, he was taking off and flying away from Valais towards the northwest towards. Towards the northern Belkan border with Osea.

\- Directus, Ustio -

Cipher picked up his car, a Dodge, and climbed inside, smelling its clean interior and sighing with a smile. He put the keys in the ignition and twisted them sharply, the engine coming to life with a roar. He drove out from the parking garage where he had stored it and after a few minutes of navigating Directus' streets he was on the open road heading north.

He was on his way to Belka.

It seemed like an eternity, nothing to look at except the endless countryside. Finally though he reached the border and of course, he was stopped at a heavily guarded checkpoint, complete with Leopard 1 tanks, machine guns and pillboxes as far as the eye can see.

A soldier accompanied by another holding a Belkan Shepherd, a dog breed that excelled at sniffing out concealed weapons or bombs once trained of course, approached his car. Their weapons, Belkan made MP-40s, were slung over their left shoulders, close by if they decided to shoot up Cipher, a thought he was not really cherishing at the moment.

"_You've done this plenty of times before. Thank god Belkan Air Force never expire._" thought Cipher as the guard without the dog rapped his knuckles on his window.

He rolled it down and looked up at the guard with an aloof expression, but maintained a respectful tone when he spoke in native Belkan.

"Name."

"Aleksandar Stefan Costner."

"Age."

"19."

"Identification?"

Cipher pulled out a folded up paper and a B.A.F identification carr, the soldier taking both and looking over them carefully and closely.

Letting a spy past the border would cost him his job, and with his country's government as is...maybe even his life.

"Purpose...?" he asked with a glance up from the I.D.

"I've been on leave. Gotta go help out our country fight off the Allied Forces after Glatisant fell. Poor souls..."

"Indeed." spoke the soldier as he looked over to his partner with the Shepherd and nodded when he confirmed that Cipher's car contained no concealed weapons.

"You're all clear. Go help our our boys in the air Sergeant." said the soldier with a smile, Cipher returning the gesture before driving through the checkpoint.

"_Piece of cake._"

Up ahead, looming before him, were the Waldreich Mountains, a chain of snow-capped mountains that stretched down from within Osea, forming the border between Nord Belka and South Belka, then down and around to form a circle that made up the Round Table. The only way through was on foot or by air, which was the safest and most used way of transportation, but Cipher knew of a shortcut no one else did.

It was an old road utilized by Belka's medieval armies back in the days of old, but since then the route was lost in history when planes became a reality back in 1898.

And luckily enough, around this time of the year the mountains were relatively clear of snow, with just a bit at the very top, so the path would be easier to traverse.

"_Let the journey begin._"

\- Heierlark Air Force Base, South Belka -

\- Two Hours Later -

Larry's scowl deepened as he entered Belkan territory after flying nonstop for two straight hours. He had been sure to fly in an irregular pattern to shake off anyone who might be following him. He let out a breath of relief when he spotted his destination just up ahead, Heierlark Air Force Base.

Currently, it was empty. The hangars barren. All except for a handful of fighters parked on the runway. One was a YF-23A Black Widow II, another being an F-15S/MTD, both originating from the Osean Air Force. Beside them sat a third plane, one originating not from Ustio, Osea or Sapin. It was from Belka.

Larry landed his jet and parked it next to the Belkan jet, hopped out, and walked towards a dark-skinned man with his arms crossed.

"Glad you could make it."

"Yeah." replied Larry as he followed the man into the building, passing by a Belkan flag hanging on the wall.

They turned a corner and walked through a pair of doors and entered a large briefing room that looked like an auditorium. Only a single light was on and it was illuminating two men talking at the front of the large room, at a table.

"We're all here." said the dark-skinned man when they walked up to the table, the two men putting their conversation on hold.

"Well if it isn't Solo Wing Pixy, in the flesh."

"Bristow."

Larry maintained his scowl aa he took a seat at the table and leaned back in the chair, the dark-skinned man following suit, the man at the head of the table observing them both behind opaque glasses.

"Welcome, gentlemen. No one followed you, correct?" he asked of the three as he set his arms on the table.

"No."

"No one at all."

"Good. Let us begin. First off, a question. What are your reasons for coming here?"

"Osea's interests in this war aren't about freedom or liberty or all that other crap. That's what they tell the kiddies to help them sleep better at night. It's all about land, and it's selfish. I want to live in a world where being greedy about land won't matter anymore." said Bristow in disgust of his own country, the dark-skinned man nodding in agreement.

The man with glasses thought for a moment then cleared his throat.

"The politicians of this world are the real enemy. They selfishly fight over who controls what, and the only thing that results from their constant arguing is war. The only way for peace to exist is to take them out of the picture."

After he finished, they all looked at Larry for his words. He closed his eyes and thought for a minute, inhaling and exhaling deeply before opening his eyes and setting his gaze.

"Well...where should I start?"

\- Mund Valley, Nord Belka -

Cipher stopped the car and turned off the engine, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath and inhale the scent of the forest trees around him through the rolled down windows. He was in a dense wooded area in Nord Belka and nearby the place he had come to see.

He got out of his car and after rolling up the windows, locked it and shoved his hands into the pockets of his airmen's jacket as a cold breeze rushed over his body.

"_It's cold...just like I remember it._" he thought before looking left, right, then over his shoulder, then walked off into the trees.

He pushed some branches aside, their leaves just now starting to come back from a frigid Belkan winter, their deceased predecessors crunching under his every footfall.

After two minutes of walking and shivering from time to time, he walked out from the forest and came to a large, pristine lake. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the lake and frowned when he spotted the dam that had created said lake.

"_Heh...hiding in plain sight. Bastards._"

He heard the leaves crackle from behind and instantly his instincts kicked in, his body whirling around while his hand went for his pistol and brought it out of the holster in the blink of an eye.

"Who's there?"

"Calm down there cowboy." said a feminine voice, Cipher narrowing his eyes as a woman in a vest, long sleeves, jeans and a beanie cap strolled out from behind one of the trees.

She rested a hand on her hip and looked at him with a stern look that screamed 'you can put the gun down now'.

"Sorry." he said as he holstered the gun.

"Why'd you follow me? And who are you?" he asked while crossing his arms, the woman shrugging.

"I'm not gonna lie. I got bored and saw you heading out here, and i had nothing else better to do, so I just followed you. And my name is Elizabeth Rechsteiner."

She looked him over and noticed the jacket he was wearing was almost identical to the ones worn by Belkan pilots, only there was a slight difference which she spotted immediately. With that hint, she began to piece together this man's identity.

"What about you?"

Hesitation.

"Just call me Cipher."

"_He hesitated there, just barely noticable but he did. That means he's hiding something._"

"Okay, Cipher, you part if the Air Force? And don't say Belka, because B.A.F pilots wear jackets that have the Belkan flag stitched onto the right shoulder." she asked with a mischievous smile, Cipher widening his eyes in surprise.

"_Gotcha._"

"And while you're at it, how about you tell me what your real name is too, hm?" she asked further when she strode up to him and poked him in the chest with her index finger.

"_Damn...she's good._"

Cipher sighed heavily as he held his hands up like a crook who just got caught and ran a hand through his hair, chuckling as he did.

"Fine, you got me." we said before he lowered his hands and crossed them again.

"My actual name is Aleksandar Costner. Cipher's just my callsign. I am in the Air Force, but...I'm a mercenary serving in the Ustio Air Force. Currently, I'm at war with Belka." said Cipher, Elizabeth's expression afterwards changing from the cockiness of her discovering his identity to shock at who he is.

"Well, this is definitely interesting."

"Not a lot of people know my name, not even my friends back in Ustio."

"Why?"

"Well...it's complicated."

"Gotcha. Tell me more." asked Elizabeth with a pleading tone.

"Hm...I was born here in Belka and joined the Belkan Air Force when I was seventeen."

"Where?"

"Dinsmark. Currently I'm nineteen, and i'm turning twenty in August. What about you?"

"I'm eighteen, recently graduated from the University of Dinsmark. Actually, I should be saying nineteen. I just remembered my birthday's today."

"Well happy birthday to you." he said with a smile.

"Thanks. Wait a minute, why'd you come all the way out here to see a lake?"

Cipher thought for a moment, mulling over the question in his mind until deciding it couldn't hurt to tell her. She he fixed himself up with a smirk and looked at the lake's shining water.

"What if I told you there's more to this dam then meets the eye?"

\- Heierlark Air Force Base -

"And nothing's going to stand in my way." finished Larry sourly, the man with glasses raising an eyebrow.

"Not even your flight lead, Cipher?" he asked while he saved that name in the recesses of his mind, making sure to look into it later.

Larry sighed deeply, his hands rubbing together, his heart becoming heavy because of his decision. In the end, he disregarded any thoughts of doubt and nodded.

"Yes. If it comes to it...I will kill him."

The man with glasses smiled and nodded in satisfaction while he leaned back in his chair, Larry, Bristow and the dark-skinned man watching as he reached up to the Belkan flag stitched onto his flight suit and rip it right off in disgust.

"It has been decided. Tonight, we no longer fight for our countries. We fight for peace, no matter the cost. A World with No Boundaries will become a reality."

"For the people."

"We will be humanity's ideal army."

"We'll start over from scratch. From zero. All boundaries will become nothing and the world will finally be at peace." said Larry with determination.

"What's our plan of action?" asked the dark-skinned man as he rested his elbows on the table.

"We remain hidden, for now. I know of a few things that will help out cause. Meanwhile you three, quietly of course, will recruit others that sympathise with your beliefs." said the man with glasses.

"By the way, we never got your name. Who are you?" asked Larry suspiciously as the man with glasses stood up and chuckled.

"Me? Hehe...just call me Doctor."

\- Mund Valley -

"Are you serious? Is that true?" asked Elizabeth with a baffled expression.

"Every word. That's why my eyes look like this." said Cipher as he let her see them up close, and she gasped at how one was light green in color while the other, strangely, was a maroonish red.

"Wow...I'm...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just worried about my teo "brothers" I was with."

"One and Eleven?"

"Yes. And that's pretty much why I came here, to see if i could get inside and see if they're still here. But seeing the dam's been filled...i was too late. I don't know what happened to them, and I'll never be this close to find out again." said Cipher regretfully.

Elizabeth looked at him for a few and looked at the sorrow radiating from his skin and, to be honest, it was kind of adorable.

"Well that does it."

He looked at Elizabeth and raised an eyebrow when she crossed her arms.

"What?"

"I'm going to help you."

"You can't be serious. Belka's your home and if you hadn't noticed we're kinda at war here. I'm your enemy." said Cipher sternly.

"I know, and I don't like it at all." she said with an equally stern tone.

"Wait, what?" he asked, his tone softening when he registered what she had said.

"It's horrible, what people do to one another just because they had a dispute over land or some other foolish political matter."

"Yeah, I know. I hate it too, but as a result of what they did to me down there," Cipher pointed to the lake. "I crave the fight. It's a blessing that I can fly a plane so good...but it's a curse that I have to fight other men and women that have families and that when I do, I can kill them.

"And that's why I'm going with you. I want to leave Belka's militaristic government behind." said Elizabeth in a determined tone, then she moved a little closer to him.

"And...you're also kinda cute."

Cipher smiled at that side comment and wrapped his arm over her shoulders as they walked back to his car.

"So let me get this straight. You're coming with me back to Ustio not only to help me find my brothers, and to help get rid of my craving for the fight, but *also because I'm cute?" he asked.

"That pretty much sums it all up." replied Elizabeth happily, Cipher rolling his eyes.

"Well, you're kinda cute too."

They reached his car and they climbed in, Elizabeth first on the passenger side then Cipher on the driver's, and as soon as he climbed in he started talking.

"Okay, I know a way past the border guards and when we get to Ustio-"

He was stopped when Elizabeth reached across the middle console, grabbed onto the collar of his jacket, pulled him over and kissed him very affectionately, even though they had just met each other for the first time barely seven minutes before.

"I trust you, _Aleksandar_." she said with a quirked up smile while letting go of his collar.

Cipher was still dumbstruck by the highly surprising kiss, and he wasn't hiding his bafflement as he looked at her. Then he smiled and blinked as his brain started to work again.

"Well...okay then!" he said with a smik as he started the car and drove into the woods.

"So I'm cute?" asked Elizabeth when they left the forest and merged onto an old dirt road.

"No, Elizabeth, of course not. I was just joking." replied Cipher, a punch in the arm from her making them both laugh.

He looked at her, her silky brunette hair still tucked snug as a bug under her beanie and just smiled.

"_My entire life, I've never had someone to call a part of my family. I never knew my parents, and Church, Ethan and Larry are the closest to being brothers than anyone I've ever known. But her...she is something else entirely."_ he thought before they entered the shadow of the Waldreich Mountains, Elizabeth gasping slightly at their sheer size.

He couldn't blame her since they were the tallest mountains on the Osean continent.

"_This war...I'm gonna end it. But not for my unknown parents, not for my brothers. I'm gonna end it for _her_._"

As the mountains loomed closer and closer, she remembered something that had slipped her mind. She looked at him with that quirked up smile of hers, most likely a habit of hers to do.

"Oh, and one more thing. Just call me Liz."

"Heh, okay. You can call me Alek."

They drove through the Waldreich Mountains and slipped past the border patrols guarding the border on their way to Ustio, the rush of getting out of enemy territory exhilarating to them both. At the same time, Larry was flying back to Ustio as well after meeting with his "friends", and at the speed he was going he would make it to Valais Air Force Base first. When Cipher and Elizabeth finally met with Larry at the air base, he was introduced to her and for first impressions they got along fairly well.

However, both pilots had not known what the other had done, and that the war they planned on ending for their own reasons will boil down to a point where everything will be thrown into a fiery pit of chaos and destruction.

Cipher blinked once as the memory faded away, returning to the endless rows of filing cabinets that made up his highly intellectual mind, and then sighed. He tucked in his son for bed and was about to leave before his hand grasped his shirt sleeve and with a slight tug he silently asked for one more portion of his story.

"Alright Buddy, but I better not hear a peep out of you afterwards. Promise?"

He nodded slowly and a smile grew on his face as Cipher took a seat beside on the edge of the bed and started where he left off.


	12. Sword of Annihilation

A/N I'm back everyone. Sorry for the long wait but I was working on another story of mine that required my full attention. I've gotten most of the chapters for that one done so all I have to do is upload them, which frees me to once again continue this story. Recently I just got into the online simulation game Nationstates and have four of my own nations, the The Federation of USEA Federation (messed up on the name, dammit), the Principality of Vriksha, the Rogue Nation of the Babel Syndicate, and the Federation of Belkan Republics. Oh it is so fun, and so far the best nation is the USEA Federation, how ironic.

Chapter 11 - Sword of Annihilation

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

\- May 23rd, 1995 1325 hrs -

"We discovered that the unidentified laser weapon is a long range offensive weapon codenamed "Excalibur". We believe it to be a Belkan antiaircraft defense chemical laser weapon developed as a missile defense system. According to our information, the strike zone is heavily guarded by jamming facilities and multiple antiaircraft artillery units."

"Your objective is to destroy Excalibur. But to do that, you must first neutralize the jamming facilities and the anti-aircraft artillery. Considering the importance of your target to the enemy, I'm afraid there's no way to avoid casualties from enemy resistance. In light of this, we have called in reinforcements for this missions. Work together with them to achieve the mission objective."

\- Tauberg, Nord Belka -

\- 028'30'19"N 231'16'56"E -

\- May 23rd, 1995 1400 hrs -

"So you're our back up. Thanks for the help." said Cipher as their allied reinforcements, an Osean mercenary squadron known as Crow Team, a flight of four F-16C Fighting Falcons, joined them with an Osean KC-10 Extender.

They'll be needing it once they finish up and need to get back home.

"This is Crow Team's number 3. Name's PJ. I'll support you anyway I can Galm Team."

"Crow 1 to Crow 3. When are you planning to buy those flowers?"

"Wait around too long and another guy's gonna come along and steal her away from you, y'know."

"This is no time to talk about my personal life!" growled PJ at Crow 1 and 2, the two older pilots snickering at their banter.

"Leave the man along. He's waiting for the right moment." said Cipher to save PJ from the teasing and to get them back to focusing on the mission.

They were within range of a massive chemical laser that could kill them instantly, after all.

They flew for barely a few seconds before a red cone originating from up ahead on their radar enveloped their formation, and instantly Cipher's survival instincts kicked it screaming 'Get the HELL outta there'.

"Break!" he yelled as he swerved away from the KC-10 Extender, the others reacting to his order a second later.

The deadly blue laser from Excalibur shot out to meet them and swept through the air, the pilots of the tanker aircraft not even able to scream as the beam vaporized them and the plane into dust,pure nothingness. Cipher watched the plane disintegrated and that's when he realized that what they're were fighting something beyond current science, something from those cheesy sci-fi films he used to watch when he was younger. Only this was very much real.

"The tanker's been destroyed! You're in dangerous airspace, all planes break!" warned Eagle Eye as they split up to engage and destroy the four jamming sites stationed near Excalibur.

CIpher started flying towards the far left, Larry to the next one directly to the right of the first, Crow 1 and 2 flying fast towards the third jamming site in the line, and PJ speeding for the final. They were all hoping that laser wouldn't catch them in the process.

"Enemy aircraft approaching. Increase ECM output to level 3." ordered a Belkan soldier stationed at one of the jamming sites.

"Destroy all jamming facilities within the perimeter. Strip Excalibur of its defences."

When Cipher finished counting to twelve seconds since the first attack, the red danger zone, he called it, popped up on radar right over him, a swear word escaping his lips as he sped out of it just in time as the laser fired and barely missed him.

He neared the first jamming site and attempted to lock onto it, but he soon discovered the electronic counter-measure waves it was broadcasting had effectively stripped away the possibility of a lock on, meaning only one thing.

"The jammers have disabled our missile's lock-on function! We're gonna have to dummy fire them!" he announced when AA rounds started to streak past the canopy.

He lined up the shot while the AA guns protecting the first jammer continued to hammer away at him,. He fired two missiles and pulled away sharply, the Sidewinders hitting their mark right on the jammer and annihilating the facility, returning his lock-on function to him.

"Jamming Facility 1 destroyed!" he proclaimed after taking care of the jammer's defenses below him.

He looked up from his radar and cringed when he saw in the distance Excalibur's laser cutting through the air like a knife over the fourth jamming site, no doubt trying to catch PJ in its deadly arc and take care of one stubborn pest.

"Pixy to Crow 3. If you get shot down, crash where I can't see." said Larry darkly after the laser finished it's assault on the Osean pilot, allowing him to finish off his jamming site with a UGB.

"Roger, leave it to me." he replied back somewhat cheerfully.

Cipher glanced at Larry's plane in worry after assisting him in destroying the third jamming facility. Something was off about him. He could see it in his posture and attitude ever since he returned back from wherever he went to a couple of days back. He slouched more, drug his feet around, had this aloof and distant look on his face. He just didn't know what had happened to his buddy.

"Electrical charge has surpassed maximum value. Target confirmed. Laser emission distance has been calculated."

"Here's comes an attack!" warned Eagle Eye as the laser fired again, this time at Crow 1 and 3.

"Damn Belkans and their damn laser tech! What is this, friggin' Star Wars?!" cursed Crow 1 in frustration as they narrowly avoided the deadly beam, the small frames of their Falcons assisting them in their plight.

Cipher waited for the beam to fade out of existence then flew in past the two Oseans, dummy firing two missiles at the last Jammer and smirking as the small, octangular building went up in flames. They regrouped fairly quickly and turned towards the source of the laser itself, the sword of Arthurian legend.

"This is Crow 2. Don't hold back, blow up everything in sight."

"All jamming facilities have been destroyed. The main facility is all we have left."

"Roger!" said Cipher as he dove down towards the ground and sped towards Excalibur, Larry and the pilots of Crow Team following close behind.

"All planes, attack Excalibur! Go for its power facilities and the cannon itself!" ordered Eagle Eye as he updated their radars and HUDs with the target information for the main facility, several high-priority marks popping up around the laser tower.

Quickly Cipher ordered Crow Team to attack the secondary power facilities positioned on either side of Excalibur in two large clears while he and Larry would attack the main four facilities built close to the tower itself. Not even a minute passed by before Larry spotted several railway artillery units appear on railroad tracks built in a ring around the tower complex. He cursed when they fired concentrated beams of red energy at him when he tried to attack one of the power facilities.

"Cipher, they've got railway laser artillery. Be careful!"

"Roger. I nearly got hit just now. I'll take care of the artillery while you take out the stations." he replied.

"Got it."

Cipher doubled back and fired a single missile at the artillery closest to him, the Belkans operating it not even having a chance to escape when the platform they stood on was engulfed in flames.

"Take out those pesky flies!" ordered the Belkan officer in charge of running Excalibur as the laser tower powered up and fired another beam at Crow Team after they destroyed the first secondary power complex.

"Shit, they still have enough power to fire that thing?!" growled Crow 1 as they avoided the attack, albeit just barely.

"All railway artillery confirmed down." informed Eagle Eye when Cipher destroyed the last one, regrouping with Larry soon after to attack the main power facilities.

They converged on one of the large buildings and each fired a missile, the metal complex going up in a huge ball of fire soon after that dealt a crippling blow to Excalibur when it's crew attempted to charge the laser up for another attack.

"Power levels dropping! We've lost one of our power facilities!"

"All right! Let's take out the king's sword now!" said PJ after he and Crow Team destroyed the last of the secondary power facilities, further incapacitating the laser tower.

"Lines A through C are down!"

"Reroute power through Lines D through F!" ordered a Belkan inside the tower's control room calmy to try and regain control of the situation.

Cipher sped around the facility and destroyed a power facility at the same time Larry did as well, eliminating the possibility of the laser firing any time soon. PJ and Crow Team watched in awe as the two ace pilots took out the final power facility, rendering Excalibur inoperable for the time being.

"Main power facilities down!"

"Draw power from reserve Use it all! I don't care if it burns up from feedback!"  
"Excalibur is still charging! They must have back-up units stored underneath the tower itself!" informed Eagle Eye as Cipher and Larry rose up from the ground to observe the laser tower from above.

"What do we do AWACS?" questioned Cipher before a new target popped up on his HUD. It was the randome atop the tower itself, the piece of machinery that fired the laser.

"We can do this! No, we will do this!" said Crow 2 as they charged at the randome first, Larry chuckling a little before he and Cipher followed after them.

"Yo Buddy, you've got everyone fired up and believing in miracles."

"All in a day's work as a badass." replied Cipher as they attacked the randome with their remaining missiles, several explosions coming to life at the top of the tower and rattling the mechanical beast to its core.

"We have enough power to get one more shot off, sir."

"Fire."

"Excalibur is still operational. Look out!" warned Eagle Eye just in time, Cipher ducking out of the way before the deadly blue laser shot out from the damaged randome and barely missed him, only singing his Eagle's left wing tip..

"_Holy shit, talk about close one…_" he thought before he fired another pair of missiles at the tower's randome and finally destroyed it, rendering the laser tower defenseless.

"It's time to destroy Excalibur once and for all! I know you can do it Cipher!"

He smirked as the final target, the center of the tower itself, appeared and he immediately went for it, using every last bit of his payload left to hammer away at the metal supports. Heavy groans of stress echoed out from the metal as the tower received hit after hit, its structure slowly bending to the right as the metal weakened further.

"We've lost. Excalibur's done for." said a Belkan in the control tower before Cipher's last missile struck the tower, igniting a stream of fire that shot up its face and finished it off, the pilots cheering as they saw it lean farther and farther towards the ground before finally splitting apart.

It's top half careened down and hit the earth hard, a plume of dirt and fire encompassing the broken sword as it finally came to rest and marked the end of the threat it posed to Allied air forces.

"Confirmed elimination of target. We can even see it from here. Good job." said Eagle Eye as the pilots regrouped for the return trip home with the arrival of a second KC-10.

"Right on! Now that's what I call teamwork!" said PJ.

"All planes, job well done!" congratulated Eagle Eye before he noticed PJ make some drastic aerial maneuvers. "PJ, don't too excited and crash, buddy!"

"Yee-haw!"

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- 1505 hrs -

As they approached their home base, the leader of Crow Team went ballistic when the control tower contacted them to land. "The sword has been pulled from the stone. It was Ustio's flight lead who did it!" exclaimed Crow 1 ecstatically as he began landing preparations.

Almost instantly the base went into an uproar and various people from around the base gathered on the runway when Cipher and Larry started to come in for the approach.

"Cipher, you hear that warm welcome? It's the sweet sound of victory. Not bad for a couple of misfits, huh?" asked Larry with a smile smile.

"Heh, yeah." he replied as he touched down on the runway to the cheers of the base's occupants.

\- Although we didn't discover any nuclear facilities, Excalibur is no longer a threat. This can be considered a substantial victory for our side.

"Wow, that's so cool!" said Jasper in awe when Cipher finished that part of his story.

He was about to take a break for the day before an idea popped into his mind and he grinned, his son looking at him with confusion written all over his face.

"Uh, Dad?"

"Come on Jasp, we're going on a field trip." he said as he got up from his chair and walked towards the door with some pep in his step.

"To where?" he asked as Cipher grabbed his car keys and opened the door, leading Jasper outside to the car.

"Well to Tauberg of course." he replied, his son only taking a second to recognize the name.

A big grin spread across his face as he very nearly threw himself into the back seat of Cipher's Camaro and fastened his seatbelt, Cipher climbing into the driver's seat and inserting the keys into the ignition. In a flash they were off, leaving the Anfang city limits a mere couple of minutes later. They drove through the Belkan countryside and it only took them around an hour before they entered Tauberg and took a country road towards a collection of hills covered with a slight blanket of fog. It only took a minute before Jasper's eyes grew wide in awe as they crested a hill and came to a stop to observe the resting place of the Excalibur Chemical Laser Tower, the massive metal sword still sitting in the exact same position it has been ever since Cipher destroyed it in 1995.

"You wanna get closer?" asked Cipher with a glance back at him, Jasper's furious nodding telling him all he needed to know.

He drove down the hill and approached the edge of the interior complex, passing by several large solar panels surrounding the actual tower itself before he stopped and put the car into park and shutting it off. He opened the door and got out while Jasper opened his and ran out to gaze up at the massive structure, now covered in vegetation and rust in multiple areas.

"Ah, the history…" said Cipher as he took in a deep breath of the fresh air surrounding the terrain and placed his hands on his hips.

"This is so freaking cool." said Jasper, Cipher running a hand through his hair with a chuckle.

"Yeah, it is."

\- Unknown Location -

\- April 7th, 2016 2300 hrs-

"Are the trials proceeding smoothly?"

"Yes sir, she's performing at max capacity and is exceeding all of our expectations. With the information we'll get from the Gandr, she'll be ready by 2020."

"Good." replied a man with curly black hair and a slightly thin stature as he placed his hands in his white lab coat.

"Sir, he's here."

"I'll be there shortly Gamar." replied the man as he turned briskly around and walked towards an office with its interiors masked behind opaque windows.

He opened the door and walked inside, being greeted by two men in black suits and red ties. Their eyes were hidden behind black glasses that gave them the look of two henchman from a very wealthy man...or government agents.

"Greetings gentlemen. Did Gamar explain to you of what we're doing here?" asked the man as he took a seat behind his desk while the other two individuals remained standing.

"Yes. We thank you for that. I expect everything is going as planned?"

"Of course. The Gandr has almost completed its trials and we're preparing to build the full production model. It'll be operational by 2020." replied the man, the suited man who asked nodding once before his colleague spoke up.

"Than you must know why we're here then?"

"Indeed. It'll be done."

"Good."

He approached the desk and held out a hand to signify the initiation of the deal, the man in the lab coat standing up and shaking it with a smile on his face. On the back of the suited man's hand was a tattoo, a marker of the organization he worked for. It was a simple Red ring with what appeared to be a black segmented tower resting within it. In the center of the tower was a skull, white as can be.

"The syndicate thanks you for your cooperation."

A/N

Ahh...foreshadowing at it's finest. Here's some more for you.

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	13. Mayhem

A/N Alright, onto the infamous Operation Battle-Axe, the stage where Cipher makes a name and reputation for himself as the Demon Lord of the Round Table, the most fearsome of all ace pilots to ever fly the skies of Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, a.k.a, the Round Table.

Chapter 12 - Mayhem

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

"Yo! Cipher! Larry! The Base Commander is calling for you guys!"

Cipher leaped out of his bed and flung open his door to see one of the officers who ran the base standing outside in the hallway. A few seconds later Larry opened his slowly and walked outside with a look of tiredness on his face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Dunno. It's urgent though and he wants you at the briefing room _now_." replied the officer before walking off, Cipher and Larry glancing at each other before rushing inside to slip on their flight suits.

In a flash they were sprinting out of the barracks with their helmets in hand, making it to the briefing room in under a minute.

"Sit down gentlemen." said the Base Commander quickly, the two pilots pulling up two chairs and listening intently as the briefing system powered on and the man cleared his throat.

"Orders have come in for an emergency sortie. A major air engagement is taking place as we speak between Belka and the Allied Forces near the border, in the B7R airspace, which Belka is committed to defend at all costs." he said, Larry's eyes widening before a scowl overcame his usual calm demeanor.

"_Just like he had said…_"

"B7R, commonly known as the "Round Table", has long been a symbol of Belka's political, military and industrial might. However, at noon today, along with its lightning-quick commencement of Operation Battle-Axe, the Allied Forces officially announced the permanent abrogation of its non-aggression treaty at the Assembly of Nations, and simultaneously attacked B7R with a massive air force comprised of several fighter squadrons." explained the Base Commander as B7R popped up and highlighted several red and yellow markers that represented concentrations of Belkan and Allied fighter squadrons.

"This mission may be our chance to finally end the Belkan War one and for all. I wish you luck. Dismissed."

Cipher stood up and with Larry left the briefing room in a hurry, quickly running out to their jets and climbing in.

"I hope what he said about ending the war is true." he said after silence dominated between the two friends for a few minutes.

"Yeah…" replied Larry aloofly as they taxied out onto the runway and after a clear from the control tower they lifted off into the cold, frigid air.

\- Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, Belka-Ustio-Osea border -

\- 022'53'37"N 234'19'32"E -

\- May 28th, 1995 1200 hrs -

B7R, which was known for its reputation as a battleground for ace pilots from all over, as a place where they can polish their skills, fight on equal footing and truly find out if they have what it takes to be called an "Ace". Currently, it was holding this title proudly as the largest air engagement of the time, involving over 170 aircraft from both sides, occurred within its borders.

The Allied Forces had attacked the important air zone with a massive aerial squadron of jets and had taken the Belkan defenders totally by surprise. This was the one good thing that occurred with the sudden blitzkrieg. The Belkans brought in reinforcements and began to push back the Allied Forces, confirming their reputation as legendary and fearsome pilots. So of course the call for reinforcements had to be brought in, and little did they know they were about to receive their own legends as back-up.

"Incoming message from Allied Forces HQ. 40% of Allied air forces are already lost." informed Eagle Eye, the dominant AWACS of the region, as Allied Fighters continued to struggle against the overwhelming power of the Belkan Air Force.

"Dammit, there's too many of them! We can't handle them all!"

"Where are the reinforcements?!" shouted one of the Crow Team pilots after avoiding a barrage of missiles from a squad of Belkan SU-27 Flankers.

High above the clouds, two fighters appeared out of the deep blue sky and turned the noses of their aircraft down, charging straight in at full speed.

"Time to dive into the fireworks!" said Larry as Cipher took the lead and armed four XLAAs for firing.

"I've never been in an aerial battle of this scope before." said PJ in awe of the of the amount of fighters around him before quickly refocusing.

"Two fighters, twelve o'clock." said Cipher, Larry moving up beside him and firing a missile in tandem with him at two MIG-29 Fulcrums.

Not even a peep escaped from the pilots when their planes turned into burning balls of fire, their intervention saving the life of an Allied pilot below them.

"Where's our support?" asked another without noticing the addition of two fighters into the fray.

"All damaged aircraft return to base." ordered Eagle Eye.

"The Round Table's nothing special. I'll take care of things!"

Cipher banked right when two Belkan fighters flew up behind him and attempted to shoot him down, a smirk emerging from his lips as he easily lead them astray and took them down easily. A second later another Belkan plane, a Flanker, blew past him with Larry on its tail and in no time at all it too turned into a flaming wreck.

"Still no reinforcements from base. If only they'd get here, we could put an end to this all at once." said a Belkan pilot irritably, Cipher on the other hand smiling at the possibility of more planes to shoot down.

"_Excellent._"

"Jenson, on your six! I got him!" shouted an Osean pilot from his F-14A as he chased after two Belkan planes pursuing his wingman.

Cipher quickly turned and joined in the chase, a missile from his Eagle and the Tomcat taking down the two aircraft and allowing the pilot's wingman to breath easy for a moment. He glanced over at the Tomcat and noticed an emblem painted onto the plane just underneath the canopy, an Ace of Hearts playing card cutting through a heart in the center with a knife.

The other pilot finally realized who he was after looking at the U.A.F insignia on his wings, the blue paint scheme and the devil hound present on his vertical stabilizers and laughed out loud.

"Ha! Our support's finally here!" he exclaimed as he waved to Cipher, the mercenary doing the same thing back before splitting off to find more prey.

"Our support's here? Who did they send us?" asked a Sapinish pilot outloud, an Osean pilot linking into the IFF and looking for any new messages from base.

Immediately he was excited about what he saw.

"IFF has confirmed it's Galm. The reinforcement team is Galm!"

Cipher grinned before he locked on to a group of Belkan fighters and absolutely laid waste to them with a couple of missiles and bursts of gunfire, his presence finally becoming known on the aerial battlefield in the process. The Allied Forces rejoiced at the news of the famous mercenary squadron arriving in the airspace, and almost instantly this feeling of relief transformed into determination to beat their adversaries.

"Greetings gentlemen. It's time we make quick work of these Belkans." announced Cipher as he immediately asserted his presence on the battlefield by eliminating another pair of Belkan fighters, the other enemies quickly recognizing him and growing cautious.

"The guy who pulled out Tauberg's sword is here. Be careful!"

Cipher grinned at how wary the Belkan pilots were of him now, his reputation as a fearsome fighter pilot having grown exponentially after destroying Excalibur he guessed. However this fame was a blessing and a curse. Not only were the skilled pilots aware of him, they were eager to shoot him and Larry down even more so than the other Allied fighters. Fantastic.

"I'll put that Ustio mercenary in his place." said a Belkan pilot arrogantly as he and another MIG-29 chased after Cipher.

Larry caught wind of the maneuver and barreled after them, turning one fighter into swiss cheese with his gun while the other was reduced to wreckage. "You owe me one Cipher."

"Yeah, thanks." he replied.

It seemed the operation was beginning to flip back to their side of the table, the Belkan pilots unable to land a blow on the mercenaries as they flew through their ranks effortlessly and without worry of attack. And still, Belka would not send their struggling pilots reinforcements.

"You don't have what it takes to fly in the Round Table."

"_Oh really?_" thought Cipher before he tracked two Belkan jets and laid down the hammer, destroying them and smirking as several other fighters out in front of him broke away. "_I just love me a good chase._"

"The enemy threat level is down. Continue to engage. Rally behind the Galm Team!"

"Roger AWACS." replied Crow 1 as he the rest of Crow gathered around Cipher and Larry, simultaneously protecting them while they took down one enemy plane after the other.

"Glad you guys could make it to the party." said PJ after having flown up beside Cipher, the Osean's words bringing a smile to his face.

"Wouldn't want to miss it."

"Wizard 1 here. The enemy has broken formation. Take them out." said an Osean pilots from a black and blue YF-23A Black Widow II, the plane flying beside Larry for a second before going off with his squadron to push back the Belkan fighters.

"Larry, can you read me?" he asked to him after destroying an SU-27.

"Looks like you've still got the touch." he said.

"It's happening just as you thought."

Cipher glanced up and saw the two flying side by side high above the engagement zone and began to wonder what exactly they were doing. Considering though that they might know each other, he dismissed it for the time being and went back to what he did best. Being an all around badass. He couldn't help but listen, however.

"It's about time we got out of this dead-end job." said Wizard 1 with a hint of irritability lacing his words, Larry looking around and grinning slightly.

"Not just yet." said Larry before he left Wizard 1 to join back up with Cipher.

Once he rejoined his flight lead's side they continued to absolutely wreck the failing Belkan lines, pushing them farther and farther back towards Belka's side of B7R. Cipher looks over at him and narrowed his eyes for a few seconds at his silence before he decided to say something.

"So what was that all about with Wizard 1?"

"Nothing. He's quite the cynical one, really. He just wants this war to end as much as I do." replied Larry blankly, Cipher thinking over the answer for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Alright."

After he split off after a group of fighters, Larry let out a deep sigh of relief. If they had been talking face to face, he would've no doubt picked up on the hesitation and slight look of fear on his face. The plan had almost been found out, he couldn't let that happen again.

At that moment his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of PJ yee-hawing again over the comm. system, rattling his ears once again. "Get a good eyeful of this flying! Let it sink in!"

"_That kid…_"

"Reinforcements still haven't arrived! What is our country doing?!" stammered a Belkan pilot as more of his comrades fell from the sky as a result of Larry's and Cipher's timely arrival.

"Nice work! The enemy threat level has dropped to under 50%. Just a little more." informed Eagle Eye on the current situation.

"Sorcerer 1 to all units. That's the Galm Team. Watch and learn." said another Osean fighter pilot leading his squadron of eight F-15S/MTDs as Cipher and Larry blew past them in pursuit of a pair of Belkan fighters, the two mercenaries ruthlessly bringing them down before looking for more prey.

"Galm's not fighting alone. Let's show 'em what the Osean Air Force can do!"

Cipher looked back and saw the Allied Forces push their forces even farther forward with their determination. Not even the skilled pilots of the Belkan Air Force could stop them now.

"The commander's plane is gone! Confirm our chain of command!"

"*Sorry." thought Cipher with a mischievous smile as he laid waste to anything he set his eyes on.

"They're attacking without mercy. Do they plan on burning everything?"

"That Ustio mercenary, damn him! He's turning the tide of battle in their favor."

"Well it wasn't that hard, really." said Cipher aloud as he dodged a pair of missiles from a Fulcrum that had come up on his six and immediately pulled the Devil's Trap maneuver on him, catching him off guard and quickly disposing of the jet.

"He can't be human!"

"He's like a demon…"

"I've never seen anything like it."

The Belkans were now really starting to become afraid of Cipher and his combat prowess, the very presence of his aircraft enough to send shivers running down their spines. The Allied Forces were beginning to take notice of this too and were even beginning to get edgy themselves.

"That kind of pilot...they call a Demon Lord…" said a pilot from Sapin after Cipher destroyed another Belkan plane and flew out from the fireball it created like he was from some action movie depicting a fighter pilot of his caliber.

Unfortunately he didn't fly an F-14A. Too bulky for his taste.

"Wizard 1 to all units. Belka's days are over, let's wrap this up." said Wizard 1 as they rallied behind Cipher and Larry to finally push the remaining Belkan aircraft out of B7R and win the engagement for the Allied Forces, something that would incredibly boost morale since they had not won an engagement of this scale with the Belkan Air Force ever since the blitzkrieg.

"Galm's revived our front line!"

"Yeah, but they're gonna get all the credit again."

"Nonsense! Even a pilot of my caliber needs some help from time to time. That's why I keep Larry around" laughed Cipher out loud, the Allied pilots responding with laughs of their own.

"I fight for peace. That's what I'm up here for." said PJ, Larry rolling his eyes at how naive he was.

"While you're up here "fighting for peace", tons of blood is being shed on the ground. Some "peace", kid." he said harshly, but PJ took no offense to it.

"And I'm here to put an end to that." he replied, Larry only getting more irritated by his inability to understand the big picture about war.

"You think you can stop the bloodshed by shedding more blood?" he asked, PJ growing silent while Cipher glanced back at his Buddy in worry. "Flyin' with all those ideals swimming around in your head is gonna get you killed."

At that moments everyone's attention was diverted away from their quarrel when Eagle Eye interjected with some new information. "Galm Team, multiple craft approaching! Something's wrong...stay alert."

All of a sudden a white and blast striped MIG-21 Fishbed blew past Cipher without stopping, the mercenary catching a glimpse of the B.A.F roundel on his plane before he looked back at the large concentration of enemy fighters approaching.

Out front was a group of eight black and red fighters, MIG-31 Foxhounds, and one either side were a squadron of four F-14A Tomcats with a grey and white paint scheme and a five man squadron of four F-16Cs and one F-4E Phantom, an antique.

**\- SCHWARZE -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**13th Night Fighter Air Division, 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

**\- SCHNEE -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**22nd Air Division, 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

**-SILBER -**

**Belkan Air Force**

**51st Air Division, 126th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"Schwarze Leader to all units. The Huckebein is ours." ordered the lead plane of the Foxhound formation, the other two squadrons speeding up to engage Cipher and Larry while they went after the escaping Fishbed.

"That plane...is that the Vulture?!" stammered a Belkan pilot in true terror, Larry and Cipher glancing at one another.

"The front is retreating. They're fast. Follow them." spoke the F-4E's pilot to his squadron as they took the lead while the Tomcat's held back for a few moments.

"Target is in firing range. Schnee 1 to all units. Release your missiles." ordered the lead Tomcat before he and his wingman let loose a single SAAM missile each, their target none other than Cipher himself.

"Shit. Thing's just got interesting!" grunted Cipher as he turned away to avoid the missiles and went into a momentary retreat from the advancing Belkan aces, instead going after an SU-47 and F-15S/MTD that was chasing that Fishbed from before.

He growled when he noticed that F-14A he met before get shot down by the Berkut and assaulted them all at once, bringing down both aggressor aircraft and the Fishbed in one swoop. This was a bad idea.

"Huckebein is down, that mercenary got him." spoke a member of Schwarze, the flight lead scowling before when he set his eyes on Cipher.

"There's an annoying fly in the enemy. All right, change of plans. We'll deal with the mercenary dream team. Schnee, Silber, stay out of our way unless you want to get killed for treason." he ordered viciously to the other two squadrons he had come with to B7R, the very tone in his voice enough to send them away.

"Guess they've come to pick on the dead again." said Larry darkly as they turned to engage the enemy, Cipher still wondering just who the hell they were.

"Please, enlighten me."

"That's the Schwarze Squadron, an elite fighter squadron that hunts down and kills defectors from the Belkan Air Force. They're feared even in their own country." he replied, Cipher shivering at first before he growled at the very thought of a hunter-killer squadron that would hunt down their own allies.

"_That Fishbed must've been a defector then if they were chasing after it...and I shot him down. Oops._"

"Get ready Cipher. Here they come." said Larry as his grip tightened around the flight stick of his jet.

Cipher grinded his teeth together as the Schwarze planes split up into two groups of four and staggered themselves apart, one group speeding ahead to engage them while the second slowed down to come up as a second wave if need be.

"Let the hunt begin." said Schwarze 1 sinisterly as the first four Foxhounds came upon Cipher and Larry with a swarm of missiles.

They managed to avoid the initial attack but were instantly locked onto when the extremely fast MIG-31s came up behind them and harassed them. Cipher cursed their ungodly speed and managed to avoid another swarm from the two fighters pursuing him, coming back around afterwards and managing to catch one of the enemies right in front of him.

"Fox 2!" he yelled quickly before he snapshot two missiles, quickly ducking away afterwards to avoid going up in flames.

He whipped his head back and swore when the MIG-31, instead of avoiding the missiles, it downright just accelerated and outran them easily.

"_Dammit all…_"

"Those mercenaries smell of money and death. They're nothing but vultures, scavenging for profit through the blood others." said a Schwarze pilot in disgust, both Larry and Cipher immediately scowling at the insult.

"Like hell we are!" snarled Cipher before he dove to the right, led the MIG-31 chasing him right to Larry, and in a split second the mercenary effortlessly killed the Belkan pilot with a missile straight to cockpit.

"There's nothing that matters anymore. All I care about is ending this war." said Larry darkly before he went after another Foxhound with Cipher, the Belkan and his speedy aircraft unable to escape the two mercenaries and their F-15Cs superior manueverability. In a matter of seconds he was shot down.

They doubled back and attacked the remaining two Foxhounds, expecting it to be fairly easy at first. But, as Cipher expected, Schwarze 1 and his other three wingmen decided to join the party and assault them. The Belkan flight lead especially went after Cipher, intending to cut the head off the snake.

"Those two are actually holding their own against the infamous Vulture and his squadron. Interesting." remarked Schnee 1 as he observed the battle from a distance with his squadron, Silber 1 snorting a bit.

"That may be true, but I can tell that blue one is still young."

While they were talking Cipher singlehandedly brought down two more of the elite Belkan fighters, catching the attention of any surviving Belkan fighters still in the air.

"The Demon of Ustio…"

"So this pilot is the Demon Lord...his flying is unreal."

"All planes, we don't have time to go game hunting out here. Hurry up and shoot them down!" snarled Schwarze 1 angrily as his squadron disregarded the rules of warfare and ruthlessly pursued Larry and Cipher, chasing them down and attempting to totally obliterate them.

"Hehe…" chuckled Cipher with a shake of his head before he and Larry flew side by side, and with only a glance at the other they performed a special variant of Cipher's signature move, the Twin Devil's Trap.

They both stopped, turned completely around, a full 360 degrees, and fired a swarm of XLAA missiles at the four Schwarze pilots following close behind them. To everyone's shock they were all brought down in one fatal swoop, the two mercenaries flying through the smoke and fire their planes left behind when they exploded. Unfortunately to them their break ended almost as soon as it started when the two other Belkan squadrons came barreling down on them with, quite literally, guns ablazing.

"Schnee 4 to Schnee 1. Target confirmed on radar. Let's do this."

"Roger. All planes, let us see for ourselves how the "Demon Lord" fights." replied Schnee 1 with a smirk as he went after Cipher first.

"This will be your final lesson. Shoot them down." ordered Silber 1.

Larry swore when he and his four wingmen in their F-16Cs gave chase after him alone, and to make matter worse their radar went completely blank, the enemy's position around them going dark.

"Shit! Cipher, they've got a jammer somewhere in the area. My radar is inop. I'll keep them off your six in the meantime while you shoot it down."

"Roger Larry, I'm on it." replied Cipher as he brought his nose up and gunned it, scanning the skies for any sign of the enemy jammer aircraft.

Down below Larry was avoiding swarm after swarm of SAAM missiles from the Schnee pilots, their F-14A Tomcats keeping on his tail at all times. Suddenly he quickly rolled to the right when a pair of Silber F-16Cs came around from the front, top and bottom of his aircraft, very nearly killing him with a pincer attack.

"Hurry it up there Cipher, I can't keep this up for much longer!"

Cipher took another scan of the skies and finally found the jammer aircraft, a EA-6B, and sped after it. He wanted to take it down as quickly as possible so he could relieve his friend of some of the Belkans pursuing him. All of a sudden Larry grunted harshly and Cipher whipped his head back, watching as his F-15C took a blow from one of the Schnee pilots and started to trail smoke, a very bad sign.

"I can't take another hit, I'm retreating from the fight. Cipher, it's up to you Buddy!" he said quickly before he sped away from the Belkan fighters, who luckily lost interest in him as soon as his plane started to smoke.

At that instant the radar was cleared up and all the Belkan pilots looked up to see Cipher barreling down at them from above with the flames of the destroyed EA-6B flowing off his plane as if he had flown straight out of hell.

"Let the battle begin!" said Schnee 1 eagerly as he turned his nose up first and went to engage Cipher, his wingmen following close behind while the Silber team flanked around him to get the drop on him.

"_Like that'll work._" thought Cipher before fainting a charge at Schnee and quickly diverting his attention at Silber, launching a pair of XLAAs to divide them up first than coming up with some Sidewinders to the engines of two F-16Cs.

"Engine's been damaged! I'm going down!" shouted one pilot before his radio cut out, Silber 1 growling as Cipher ripped through their lines and went after another F-16C.

He let out a sigh of relief when he managed to get away from Cipher, but it was short-lived when the mercenary kept flying forward and shot down the F-16C that was waiting to pursue him if he had decided to chase after his original target. Already three of his wingmen were down and the Schnee Team had just finally reached them to join the fight.

"Keep going Cipher!" said PJ as Cipher continued to evade every missile fired at him from both squadrons, his skill in the art of dogfighting continuing to impress both ally and enemy alike.

"He truly is a Demon Lord...I've never seen someone fly like this." said a Schnee pilot in begrudging respect for his enemy.

"This ain't nothing yet." said Cipher with a cocky grin, the Belkan pilot having no idea what he meant until he saw it for himself.

Cipher totally outmaneuvered the two Tomcats and the last remaining F-16C chasing him and went straight for Silber 1, knowing full well that if he took out the lead plane, the remaining member of his squadron would be easy prey. He followed the Phantom's every twist and turn and after leading him for almost a full minute he fired a missile straight into the F-4E's left wing and shredded it to pieces of molten metal.

"Boss! Bail out!" cried out the last member of Silber Team, Schnee 1 quick to interject and prevent the young pilot from doing anything reckless.

"Don't let your emotions take control. Stay focused. Join our formation." he ordered, the Belkan pilot shuddering before he fell in with the Tomcats and proceeded to attack Cipher once again.

"His flying is unpredictable." said a Schnee pilot after Cipher continually managed to surprise them at every twist and turn, the elite Belkan aces unable to land a lock on him.

"It makes it all the more interesting! Fox 2!" said Schnee 1 enthusiastically as he fired a pair of SAAMs at Cipher, the homing missiles tracking the mercenaries every move for a short time before he pulled the Devil's Trap maneuver and completely lost them

He doubled back and shot down the F-16C after faking an attack on one of the Tomcat's, leveling the playing field just a little more after each kill he claimed. Following after that he shot down one of the Schnee pilots, and then another until finally only he and Schnee 1 remained in the air above B7R. It was flight lead against flight lead, and only one was going to win.

"Bring it on Demon!" challenged Schnee 1 as he attacked Cipher head on, the mercenary smirking as he accepted by powering up his engines to the max and meeting him head on.

The fight only took a few minutes, where each pilot fired a series of missiles at the other to try and shoot him down, than in return dodging them to stay alive. At the end, however, it was Cipher who emerged victorious after firing a missile at Schnee 1's engines and detonating them, severely damaging his Tomcat and rendering unable to fly. Once he saw the white chute emerge from the cockpit he knew the fight was over.

"All targets within combat airspace are down. Operation complete." said Eagle Eye after confirming the kill, Cipher exhaling deeply in relief.

"The demon born of the Round Table…" said an Osean pilot in awe of Cipher's skill while Larry flew up next to him and escorted him back to their lines.

"Yo Buddy, you still alive?"

"You should be asking yourself that Buddy. You were the one that almost got killed." replied Cipher with a laugh.

"Ha, like that would happen. They asked me that when I lost a wing and look what I got out of it. A badass nickname and a reputation to boot. I'll be fine." said Larry, Cipher's smile fading when he heard those words and thought back to what he had said earlier.

"_I'm not sure if I believe you…_"

-We were victorious in the B7R engagement. The Round Table has finally toppled. According to our reports, that those squadrons you faced were some the best among the Belkan Air Force, especially that one led by the enemy ace in the Tomcat. Thanks to you, our forces' morale have skyrocketed.


	14. The Knights of the Round Table (Part 1)

A/N jeez, fighting Schwarze was hard enough. But all three of those squadrons at once would've been a nightmare. Good thing Cipher's a badass because anyone else would've been absolutely destroyed.

Chapter 13 - The Knights of the Round Table (Part 1)

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

'My pulse raced at the astounding accomplishments of the mercenary known as "Demon Lord". I forgot about my job and read everything I had on hand. Around the time "Demon Lord" received his nickname, South Belka showed signs of weariness regarding the war. Because the region was set up as a defence line to protect the birthplace of Belka in the north, the people's dissatisfaction had reached a climax. The cities declared themselves demilitarised, and peacefully surrendered to the Allied Forces. Unable to establish a defensive position, the Belkan Army kept retreating to the north. The end of the war was fast approaching.'

'I was given an opportunity to interview the former aces of the Belkan Air Force. Back then, they were the masters of the sky...and they had also known him. So I crossed the border to follow his trail. I wanted to capture the war and the "Demon Lord" from their point of view...To capture the voices of those who were there.'

\- Interview #01 -

\- A Pilot that Lives by Pride -

\- The University of Dinsmark, Dinsmark, Belka -

\- October 12th, 2005 -

"Rot Team Commander, former member of the Belkan Air Force 2nd Air Division, 52nd Tactical Fighter Squadron. Detlef Fleisher. Also known as the "Red Swallow". With his skill and demeanour, he was practically a poster boy for the armed forces. Today, he is a professor of history at the University of Dinsmark."

Detlef himself looked up from behind his desk as gradient sunlight fell upon his face from the large window beside him, a flock of birds fluttering by with various chirps. His office walls were lined with large bookshelves filled to the brim with books on various subjects in the history of Belka, from when it was first founded during the Dark Ages to current history.

"Back then, I was bursting with pride. I wanted to lead us to victory, for Belka's honor. Staying where it was nice and warm wouldn't accomplish anything." he said with a deep sigh, the memories of the past coming back to him.

"My flight's mission was to maintain air superiority in Area B7R., an essential area that we couldn't allow to be violated. That day, when I heard the order from HQ for reinforcements, I became angry." he continued as he clenched his fists.

"The stationed force was in chaos because of just _two_ mercenaries. There was no way the mighty Belkan Air Force could lose to mere mercenaries. My pride was shot and the Round Table was defiled. What went wrong?"

Detlef lowered his gaze and looked at his clenched fists, sighing again as he relaxed the muscles keeping them together. "Whatever it may be, the fact remains I was forced to walk a different path in life than the one I had envisioned."

Interview #02 -

\- The Strategist -

\- Sudentor, North Osea -

\- October 15th, 2005 -

"Bernhard Schmidt. A man with the eyes of an owl. Grun Team Commander, former member of the Belkan Air Force 10th Air Division, 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Fighting with distinguished service on the battlefield, he earned the title of "Ace" with his uncanny ability to adapt quickly to the flow of battle."

A man in a black beanie and jacket sat comfortably in one of the padded booth seats in his favorite diner, a small place at the corner of two roads in his hometown of Sudentor in the now territory of North Osea. He rubbed his hands together for a few seconds before he exhaled.

"I had a bad feeling while I was flying towards the Round Table with the other two squadrons sent there, Rot and Indigo. Why were they having problems downing two mercenaries? I figured it was just temporary chaos and it would be over by the time I got there." he said at first, smirking a little as he did.

"The pilots of the Belkan Air Force are true professionals, but when I saw the situation, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought maybe my IFF was malfunctioning. There were still two enemies on the radar. Everyone else in my squadron had the same reaction, "This is really happening…"." he said when the smirk disappeared. "Every now and then, guys like that appear on a battlefield. Someone special, you know?"

He leaned back in the chair and rested one arm on the headrest of the booth, patting the palm of his other hand on the table a couple of times.

"I squinted my eyes and confirmed the situation after Rot had been shot down. Checked the terrain, air currents, his plane, his maneuvers, and his remaining ammo. I figured I could do it. I knew what I was getting into...but he still outmaneuvered me beyond my expectations."

\- Interview #03 -

\- A Man who Upholds Honor -

\- Lichtenburg, Belka -

\- October 12th, 2005 -

"Indigo Team Commander, former member of the Belkan Air Force 7th Air Division, 51st Tactical Fighter Squadron. Dimitri Heinreich. An ace whose precision and grace in flying earned him the title of "Indigo Heron". Today, he has his hands full with the family business."

Dimitri sat in a lavish chair beside a mahogany nightstand and behind him hung a tapestry depicting an order of knights in shining armor and the flag of Belka waving proudly from the sticks they carried.

"That day, right before I deployed, my airspace assignment was changed. Initially my squadron was assigned to the stable eastern front. That was changed to Area B7R, the "Round Table", where casualties were recorded at a fearsome pace." he started off after adjusting his suit's cuff to give him some breathing room. "It's also the place where I met _him_."

He rested his elbow on one of the chair's arm rests and smirked a little as he recalled his first encounter with the pilot known as "Demon Lord".

"It was just two planes, him and and his wingman in two Eagles. And yet our lead force didn't stand a chance against them. Not even Detlef and Rot succeeded in shooting them down. I could tell he was good and it was going to be bad for us, but there was something else I noticed. He hesitated. A vulnerability that can be exploited." he explained with the same casual smirk.

It vanished a second later.

"I was certain I would win. The pilot was still young. He had yet to master the rules of combat...But in the end, I was shot down."

\- Interview #04 -

\- The Fallen -

\- Directus, Ustio -

\- September 13th, 2005 -

"Gelb Team's number two. Former member of the Belkan Air Force 5th Air Division, 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. Rainer Altman. He flew the skies of Directus during the capital's liberation. And he's still there to this day."

Altman was sitting in the office of one of the many skyscrapers in Directus, its window providing an excellent view of the city's chapel and the setting sun in the distance. He cleared his throat and rubbed his index finger and thumb together, a nervous habit.

"I met him above this vert sky. I can still hear the sound of the missile alerts from that day. I received an order to fly to Directus on my way back from an intercept mission on the southern defense line." he said at first, his eyes narrowing slightly before he shrugged.

"The order itself wasn't unusual. We kept getting deployed from one mission to the next without even receiving even the basic maintenance. But the situation was the same all around. We were late reaching the operational airspace." He ran a hand through his hair and blinked a few times. "The stationed squadrons had already been shot down and warning bells were going off in the city...And the people were looking up to his plane high above the sky."

He licked his lips and shuddered a little as his memory of the pilot he faced above the skies of Directus came back to him as if it were yesterday.

"I-I couldn't see any emotion in his maneuvers. I didn't feel like I was fighting against a human being. I wanted to end that battle as quickly as possible."

\- Interview #05 -

\- The Bringer of Death -

\- Oured, Osea -

\- September 22th, 2005 -

"This man was head of the command group, and was known as the Vulture. Schwarze Team Commander, Dominic Zubov, former member of the Belkan Air Force, 13th Night Fighter Air Division, 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He fled after the final battle to avoid prosecution for various war crimes. He is still on the run and being hunted as an escaped killer."

"Sorry about the accommodations." said Dominic as he put his hand in the pockets of his pants, smirking a little at the so called "accommodations", a trashed and abandoned apartment with ruined furniture littering the room.

"It goes with the business. I'm not active during the day."

He looked out some of the broken window panels to his right and held his cocky smirk, the shiny new pristine skyscrapers of Oured, the capital city of the Osean Federation, being seen in the distance.

"Back than, I was a shadow assassin. An "escapee killer". Given the order, I'd even shoot down my own comrades." he said, scratching his chin as he did so. "I received an order to take down deserting craft on that day. It was a typical assignment. But...something unexpected happened. My target was no new recruit, but a top ace of the Belkan Air Force. And he just had to go and run straight into the chaos at the Round Table."

He licked his lips and frowned a little in disgust. Recalling that day in 1995 obviously wasn't something he enjoyed doing.

"The man was sharp just like the rumors. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the mercenary team of Solo Wing and _him_ were there. Thanks to them, I lost my target. I figured the least I could do was take them down in return. Of course, that was where my luck ran out."

\- Interview #06 -

\- A Man who Lived for Battle -

\- Civilian Airport, North Osea -

\- September 7th, 2005 -

"Schnee Team Commander, former member of the Belkan Air Force 22nd Air Division, 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Erich Hillenberand. He never had great ambitions. All he ever hoped for was to make a living as a regular pilot. Today he works as a flight instructor for civilian pilots."

Erich sat himself down on one of the desks at the airport main office and crossed his legs over, smirking as he did so.

"The instant he shot me, I pulled the lever. I barely managed to escape from my plane as it burst into flames. After drifting from the blast, I landed below the Round Table. It was a wide-open, barren wasteland. How long would I have to wait for a rescue party?"

He leaned back on his hands and smiled at the thought of B7R during that battle.

"Radio interference within the Round Table was fierce. The odds of a distress signal actually reaching anyone was low. I was at a loss for what to do." he said with a slight shrug. "Anyway, I'd really gone out with a bang, this time. I took that as a sign it was time for me to retire. But just then, I heard a roaring overhead. It was his plane. I was jealous of his calm, flying form."

He rubbed his hands together and chuckled again before he sat up straight while his smirk vanished.

"Rather than wait for the rescue team, I began to walk toward the nearest base. I was driven by desire to get back up there and fight him again. Of course, it did take me three days to get there."

\- Interview #07 -

\- The Reborn Veteran -

\- Birneheim, Belka -

\- September 24th, 2005 -

"Silber Team Commander, former member of the Belkan Air Force 51st Air Division, 126th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Deitrich Kellerman. He was once the top ace of Belka, and a fiery instructor at the Air Force Academy. In 1995, the Belkan Air Force sent him to the front lines to bolster troop morale."

Kellerman finished sweeping some stray pieces of hay from the ground before he held the broom's head firmly on the ground and placed his thumb through one of his belt loops, settling himself in for the interview.

"He was good. From what I'd heard about him, I thought he was still just a young mercenary. But he'd matured since than. He still wasn't perfect, but I could see he had come a long way toward understanding the rules of combat." he said calmly, a slight breeze making its way through the open door of his farm house.

He had retired permanently after the Belkan War and became a farmer, a steady and more peaceful life.

"What's important on the battlefield is to let go of hate, to survive, and to adhere to the rules you've set for yourself. These are the rules i've taught my students. And when I saw him, I could tell my time was done. A new generation had inherited the sky. There was no more need for an old soldier like me.

\- Near a Disputed Border -

\- August 25, 2005 -

"Every time I flew with him, his skill stood out. It didn't matter where the battlefield was, the man had complete trust in his own powers. He was born for battle, a demon lord that struck down all opposition. He would ascertain the situation in an instant, and change the tide of battle. He was cool-headed and proud, a combat professional. "Demon Lord" fit him perfectly." said Larry with a small smile as he leaned on his assault rifle.

"Maybe the man was blessed by the goddess of war, all I knew though was it was hell trying to keep up with him."

His smile slowly faded away, as if all the good memories were starting to disappear as he thought more and more about the war.

"Before long, everyone had taken notice of him. More and more people would show up to watch him go off on sortie. Mercenaries or maintenance crew, it didn't matter. People wanted to burn his image into their memories. Hell, they weren't the only ones."


	15. The Inferno

A/N And here we are, Operation Cannibal, a.k.a the Bombing Hoffnung. After learning more about WWII and such this mission really seemed similar to either the Bombing of Dresden or the Bombing of Tokyo, maybe even both since each resulted in a high loss of life and the total annihilation of most or all of the city. I can't even begin to imagine how terrifying it must've been for the people in either city as they witnessed hundreds of thousands of high-explosive bombs and incendiary bombs fall from the sky and lay waste to your home.

Chapter 14 - The Inferno

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

\- April 8th, 2016 0900 hrs -

"Now Jasper, you remember the Bombing of Hoffnung from your history class, right?" asked Cipher as he plopped down in his chair, his son already beside him.

"Kind of, we learned about it last week. Hoffnung is in Nord Belka, right?" he asked, Cipher nodding once.

"Yes, Hoffnung is a highly industrialized city in Nord Belka. It's second to Sudentor in being the country's industrial cities. During 1995, while Sudentor was home to the manufacturing plants for planes, bombs and tanks, Hoffnung was the home of the arms factories that produced the firearms used by all the branches of the Belkan military, along with some other facilities dedicated to the creation and holding for experimental weapons." he explained, Jasper nodding as he listened.

"And, like the name, during the Belkan War, Hoffnung became a target for the Allied Forces since it produced a lot of weaponry for the Belkan military, their enemy. And like any other army would do during wartime, they would find any way to hinder their enemy and exploit it, one being the factories that supply their enemy. And as a result, Operation Cannibal was born."

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- June 1st, 1995 2250 hrs -

As the Axe &amp; Hammer briefing system loaded up on the screen, Cipher glanced over and Larry for probably the fifth time after entering the briefing room out of concern for him. Ever since their engagement over B7R Larry's mood had worsened, and he was really starting to get worried if the war was taking it toll on him.

He dismissed the thoughts to allow himself to focus on the briefing when it started.

"The Belkan forces are beginning to take flight. The industrial city of Hoffnung is crucial to the enemy's industrial strategy and the heart of its war productions. The Allied Forces have decided that all Belkan war production must be stopped to expedite the end of the war, and has requested our participation in this operation." said the Base Commander as the city of Hoffnung appeared on screen and labeled out the city's factories and production facilities.

Two groups of Osean and Sapinish bombers, comprised of B-52 Stratofortresses, appeared from the west and from the south east while a third group, most likely them, popped up from the southwest and indicated their headway would take them all right to Hoffnung.

"The operation will primarily involve the bombing of ground facilities by the Allied Forces. Your mission is to support those bombers and attack enemy facilities. We have achieved near total air supremacy over the target area, but don't let your guard down. There may still be sporadic resistance. Dismissed."

Cipher got up with PJ and the other mercenaries and was about to leave through the door before he looked back and noticed Larry was still sitting in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Larry, come on, let's go. Larry? Yo, you there?" he said, his Buddy flinching a little as if he had awoken from a trance and turning back.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I zoned out there for a second. Let's go." he said after getting up and exiting the briefing room, Cipher narrowing his eyes as he followed behind.

"I trust you listened to the briefing? And what were thinking about so hard that I had to call your name twice?"

"Nothing, and yeah, I got it." replied Larry without looking back, his aversion of the question only making Cipher more suspicious of him.

"_What is going on in that mind of yours Buddy…?_"

\- Hoffnung, Nord Belka -

\- 025'38'120"N 237'28'58"E -

\- June 1st, 1995 2310 hrs -

To say the least, this had got to be the darkest sky he had ever flown in. It was nearing midnight and the foothills of southern Nord Belka, the starting point for what would become the mountain range that made up the Round Table, were blanketed in darkness. Their only light was up ahead.

"Galm 2 to all units. I've confirmed a burning city up ahead." said Larry after squinting his eyes to make out the silhouetted figures in the distance.

"That must mean the bombing's started." said PJ, Cipher gulping a little at the sight of the smoke plumes rising from the city's industrial complexes.

"Cover the Allied bombers. Eliminate all ground and aerial threats." ordered Eagle Eye.

"Let's move." said Larry as they dove down closer to the ground, their altimeter the only instrument capable of telling them where the ground was.

They don't want to end up crashing, that's for sure.

When they got in closer to the city's outskirts Cipher, Larry, PJ and the rest of the mercenaries got a taste of what a fleet of B-52s could do over such a wide area. Most of the outer industrial district, filled with factories and oil containers, were engulfed in flames that couldn't be put out, and various shockwaves from the bombs, whether they be incendiary or high-explosive, flattened anything nearby when they struck the ground.

"Holy shit…" uttered Cipher as they flew by a flight of three B-52s as they unleashed some of their payload onto a grouping of factories and totally annihilated them in seconds.

That's when things took a turn for the worse.

"To all bombers. Remove Belka's ability to counterattack. Priority is placed on destruction over accuracy." ordered the lead bomber of the Osean portion of the bomber fleet, Cipher's eyes widening when they started to just release their payload on anything they deemed an asset to Belka's manufacturing capabilities.

This, unfortunately, included the oil and fuel containers.

"Initiate bombing sequence. Drop 'em all!"

"Turn it to ashes! That's not enough! Drop more bombs!"

Soon everything started to go up in flames, the fear and terror painted on the mercenary's faces being illuminated by the bright reds, yellows and oranges of the explosions as they went off. It was like the gate to hell had been opened and was engulfing everything in sight.

"I thought they were on a precision bombing mission…" started Larry in horror while Cipher was left speechless.

"They're just tossing bombs all over the place." said PJ as the bomber fleet finished their attack run on the outer factory district and moved on to the larger refineries and facilities located in the city itself.

Cipher and company managed to spot a few stray SAM installations stationed around the outskirts of the city and destroyed them quite easily, freeing the bombers up to continue on straight to their target.

"We're surrounded by flames here! Headquarters! Requesting orders!" shouted a Belkan platoon leader from the ground as the air warning sirens incessantly blared throughout the night sky, warning the citizens of Hoffnung of the coming attack.

Suddenly, as Cipher and Larry were passing over some burning factories after they had gotten hit, a stream of fire flew past them at incredibly fast speeds, the two immediately recognizing it as a cruise missile, an AGM-109H/L Tomahawk. Several more followed behind it and to their horror struck the streets and buildings close by to the factories below them, engulfing an entire city block in fire and killing anyone caught in the blast.

"Tomahawks just hit the city! Are those guys serious?!" exclaimed Larry in anger and disbelief while Cipher drew his eyes away from the fiery hell below him and shuddered.

He couldn't think of any reason as to why the Allied Forces were indiscriminately attacking the city unless it was supposed to be a psychological attack on the Belkan government and military as well. It was a horrifically common but highly effective tactic. Kill enough people, and they'll bust down their government's doors demanding the war be brought to an end.

He looked back and noticed several armored brigades from Osea enter portions of the city that had already been hit from the foothills and began to attack any straggling Belkan soldiers that had survived the initial bombing. It was horrific.

"How long does this have to go on…" asked Cipher to no one in particular before PJ noticed something go on in the downtown area of Hoffnung, a section where the B-52s have yet to reach.

"This is PJ. Something' strange is goin' on down there. The number of burning areas just suddenly increased."

If there was any hope regarding the possibility that things couldn't get any worse, it too now went up in flames when it became all too clear as to what the enemy's intentions were.

"Inform all units. This is an order from Operation HQ. "Abandon Hoffnung. However, do not retreat until all facilities are destroyed. Leave them nothing.". That is all."

It only took a second for Larry to realize what it meant.

"The Belkans are setting fire to their own…"

"They're burning their own city to the ground. A Scorched Earth Policy. Those bastards…" snarled a mercenary pilot flying close by to PJ and Crow Team as they flew over the city and watched as the B-52s coupled with the Belkans and waves of Tomahawk cruise missiles destroyed Hoffnung from the inside out.

"A missile has hit Sector C! It's gonna set off the fuel!" yelled out a factory worker before his voice was drowned out by another devastating explosion, followed by a scream of agonizing pain before the radio went silent.

Cipher watched as huge waves of fire spread out across an oil refinery and set everything ablaze, the napalm contained in the incendiary bombs the B-52s were dropping joined with the oil creating a fiery inferno that none could escape from. It was like a ravenous beast from the lowest pits of hell that hungrily ate everything in sight.

"Burn down the entire city! Set fire to the buildings on your way out!" ordered another Belkan soldier over the deafening screams of the people of Hoffnung as their city came crashing down all around them.

"This isn't a weapons factory, what are you people doing?!"

An explosion followed shortly thereafter when a 600 lb bomb struck the group of Belkan soldiers trying to set ablaze a factory that they thought would help the Allied Forces, engulfing them and the entire front half of the building in smoke and fire.

"We have Belkan fighters approaching the city. Galm Team, take them out." ordered Eagle Eye, Cipher shutting his eyes and breathing out slowly as he tried to shove the images of pure hell out of his mind and focus on the incoming enemy fighters.

"Roger…" muttered Larry as they approached the incoming Belkan fighters and took down the first few that entered the airspace.

"Hoffnung has fallen to the Allied Forces. Retreat from the airspace."

A Belkan C-5 Galaxy was about to take off from the city's airport before Osean tanks and troops rolled out onto the runway and halted it before it could take off. Before they could approach it however, as a part of the Scorched Earth policy now in effect, the crew of the plane detonated the C4 explosives rigged to the interior cargo bay and destroyed the entire plane and all its cargo, preventing the Allied Forces from using whatever it contained.

"Release all your bombs before you get shot down!" ordered the lead B-52 as more Belkan fighters came in to stop the bombings from continuing.

"_They're not even caring about their own safety..._" thought Cipher in horror and disgust after shooting down two MIG-31s.

"The flames are spreading. Belka's city is gonna burn to the ground." said another B-52 pilot when a skyscraper, its metal support structure having weakened due to the flames engulfing its interior, collapsed in on itself and spewed ash and smoke over a wide area, blanketing the streets and people still alive around it.

"I can't take much more of this anymore. This is too much for me to see." said Crow 1, the other mercenaries silently agreeing with him at the brutality of the attack.

Cipher was about to shoot down an enemy fighter before Larry blew past him and completely disregarded the Belkan, instead to his horror firing a missile straight into the fuselage of the B-52 he was targeting.

"Larry! What the hell?!" shouted Cipher to his wingman in total shock as the B-52 went up in flames.

"I can't stand these bastards killing innocent people any longer. It's time some of them died." he replied viciously before he started to go after another B-52.

"Larry I swear to _god_ I will shoot you down here and now if you try to kill another B-52!" snarled Cipher as he trained his gun on his own wingman, the other mercenaries who were tuned in on their shared channel silently listening in.

A minute of tense silence followed before Larry growled and broke off, flying out to the edge of the city away from the combat zone.

"Fine, but don't expect me to shoot down any more fighters." he snarled back before going silent, Cipher shaking his head slowly in both rage and sorrow.

"This is Galm 1, continue to shoot down attacking Belkan planes." he ordered.

They continued to shoot down any advancing enemy fighters that tried to shoot down their bombers for another minutes before the flames encompassing the city went beyond out of control.

"This city's going up in flames!" said PJ in terror at the sight of another skyscraper collapsing in on itself in a cloud of smoke, ash and fire.

"Learn to accept it, kid. This is war." said Larry darkly from where he was flying, his words igniting PJ's anger buried deep within him.

"You expect me to believe that arson and indiscriminate bombing is war?!" he bellowed.

"There's no mercy in war. It's a collision of powers."

"Even war has a set of rules to follow!" barked back PJ, his response only getting a chuckle out of Larry.

"Tch, as if. There are no rules when it comes to war."

Suddenly new enemies popped up on radar from a high altitude and Eagle Eye immediately went to work on identifying them for his allies in the air.

"Unknowns spotted on radar. Their signatures are barely visible, probably stealth." he informed quickly, Cipher scanning the skies before he spotted several stars blink out of existence than reappear a second later.

"_Great, not only are they stealth but their bodies are painted black. Fantastic._"

"I'll burn them all to the ground." said a Belkan pilot darkly before his flight of five F-117 Nighthawks dropped down from the sky and passed by the mercenary pilots and opened their weapons bays to reveal several GBU-10s had been loaded in.

"You have to be fucking kidding me! They're using stealth bombers to level more sections of the city!" he yelled before giving chase after the bombers, his fury overtaking his actions and allowing him to hold no remorse as he killed off each Nighthawk one by one.

Several other Belkan fighters came in but in the end were shot down, prompting a second wave of stealth bombers and decoy aircraft to enter the airspace under the cover of a jammer aircraft from the north. Crow 1 flew up high and shot down the EA-6B jamming their radars and while the Cipher and PJ engaged the stealth bombers before they could do more damage to the city the other mercenaries shot down the remaining fighters and finally cleared the skies of all enemies.

"Down all Belkan fighters." informed Eagle Eye, Cipher looking back and scowling as the bombers continued to lay waste to the city.

As the city continued to burn a convoy of military transport trucks containing the remainder of the Belkan soldiers who had been stationed at Hoffnung were making their way out of the city, disregarding any civilian that tried to stop them regardless if they were injured or not.

"Ignore the civilians. Our priority is withdrawing the troops out of the area."

"Abandon Block D. Join up with 5th Company from Block C."

"Don't leave anything behind for the Allied Forces."

Finally the B-52s ran out of bombs to drop and flew once over the burning city to view their handiwork from up above while Cipher and the other mercenaries thanked god that it was all finally over.

"Mission objective fulfilled. All units, return to base." ordered the lead bomber as they split off and set their course for their own home base.

Meanwhile Larry had returned to the city and looked down onto the terror filled streets of Hoffnung in rage at what the Allied Forces had done to the city's innocent population.

"Damn them all…" he swore darkly before he turned back to rejoin up with Cipher and the others on the return trip to Ustio.

-Pursued by Allied Forces, the Belkan forces have taken flight, abandoning Hoffnung. Without military production capabilities, Belka is in a bind. We were also able to confiscate samples of what seem to be experimental weapons from the abandon war factories that survived the bombing and Belka's Scorched Earth policy, before Belka had time to use them.

'Nobody knew why they were fighting anymore. All I felt at that point was sadness for the world. That's why I...'

A/N Oh isn't that just wonderful? Everything's going to shit! Fantastic.

And here is another transmission I got from, uh, somewhere. I don't know who or where I'm getting them from, but hey, wouldn't it be interesting to put them here.

Begin Transmission

01010100 01101000 01100101 0010000001000110 01100001 01100011 0110010101101100 01100101 01110011 01110011

End Transmission


	16. Setting the Plan into Motion

A/N Nothing to say here except leave a favorite and review

Chapter 15 - Setting the Plan into Motion

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- June 4th, 1995 1230 hrs -

Cipher, PJ, Crow 1 and 2 and the other mercenaries peeked into the break room and watched silently as Larry shifted very little in his position next to the window. He hadn't moved from the couch in several days and remained silent, not talking to anyone who would go near, not even Cipher himself.

He glanced at PJ and shrugged in confusion before they all moved away and decided to take a trip to the hangers to partake in the only other form of entertainment they could think of, cards.

"Alright, who has the decks?" asked Crow 1, Cipher holding his hand up and grinning at the three decks in his grasp.

"Me. What are we going to play today gentlemen?"

"BS." said PJ, the other mercenaries agreeing fairly quickly since it was all their favorite game.

Bullshit, or BS for short, was a card game that they all thoroughly enjoyed playing in their past time.

The goal was, simply, to get rid of all your cards through the means of deception. And boy did they have fun calling each other out on the carpet because mercenaries are all experts are legendary for using any means possible to win, including deception. Cipher carried over their usual table and set it up beside his F-15C, the other mercenaries pulling up anything they could use as a seat. He shuffled the cards like a pro from a casino and dealt them out to each player evenly, fifteen cards each for the ten of them.

"And since I have the Ace of Spades, I'll go first." said Cipher as he tossed away the Jokers left over from the decks and pulled out the Ace from his deck, placing it in the center of the table.

"Three twos."

"Bullshit." said Crow 1 with a smug grin, Cipher scowling at him for a second before he laughed as he withdrew his cards as soon as he put them down.

"Fuck you."

"You're a horrible liar, just saying." he said with the shrug of his shoulders

"Like I said, fuck you." replied Cipher as the next person in the circle went on with their turn.

While their card game went into full swing, Larry had actually moved from the couch and secluded himself in his room, locking the door behind him and closing the blinds shut so no one would be able to enter or see into the closed space. After making sure everything was in order, he unlocked a drawer in his desk and pulled it open, retrieving a satellite phone from within and turning it on.

He opened up the contacts and selected the only one programmed into it and called it, pulling it up to his ear to wait for the person on the other side to pick up. It rung a couple more times before the receiver finally picked up, Larry waiting in utter silence.

"Can I help you?"

"Zero." replied Larry almost instantly, the person on the other end growing silent.

"Of course. Please wait for a moment."

Larry tapped his foot against the floor a few times as he was connected to a new person, his cold, calculating voice emerging from the phone's speaker a second later.

"Yes?"

"It's me, Larry." he said.

"Ah, greetings. May I ask why you are calling me?"

"I'm ready. I've had enough."

The man on the other end whispered a few words to someone Larry couldn't hear before he got an answer. "I'll tell the others. Have a good day, Larry Foulke." said the man before he stopped the call, Larry lowering the phone and placing it back into the desk drawer.

He locked it and let out a deep sigh, looking to his room's window and parting the blinds slightly to see Cipher and the others laughing and having a good time as they played cards. Especially Cipher, whom he knew that after the ordeal he had over Hoffnung was no doubt thinking what had caused him to do such a thing.

"Sorry Cipher...it has to be done."

\- The Next Day -

Cipher awoke to a heavy banging on his door and he growled, slowly getting up and shuffling to it.

"What?" he asked with a scowl as he opened the door slightly, the grinning face of PJ looking back at him through the slit.

"You need to come out to the runway now." was all he could say to try and contain his excitement.

"Why?" asked Cipher.

"They'll explain when you get there. Come on!" said PJ before he flung open the door and grabbed Cipher by the arm, the man's eyes widening as he grasped the blanket wrapped around his shoulders before it could fall off and was forced to run beside PJ.

As soon as they left the barracks the cold and frigid air hit him like a brick and he wrapped his blanket tightly around him like a cloak, even making a small hood to cover his ears and most of his head. He looked up and was met by a sight he was not expecting.

On the runway was a large object hidden by a equally large tarp covering it, and guessing by its shape he deduced it to be a plane of sorts, and after lowering his gaze he spotted several people in trenchcoats and the other mercenary pilots standing close beside it. PJ slowed to a walk when he got close and finally let go of Cipher, the mercenaries laughing under their breath at Cipher's choice of clothes when he approached them.

"All of you, shut up. I was in the middle of sleeping before PJ woke me up." he said to quell their laughter, looking to the men in the trenchcoats afterwards.

"Are you the mercenary pilot called Cipher?" asked the man standing at the front of the group, Cipher nodding once before he sniffled.

"A pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand and Cipher shook it, still wondering who this person was. "My name's Maxwell Hibrachen. I'm the President of Ustio."

Cipher's eyes widened along with the rest of the mercenaries and his jaw dropped, Maxwell grinning as he withdrew his hand and stepped back, CIpher hiding his underneath his blanket again.

"Why'd you come all the way out here, sir?" asked Crow 1, Maxwell shoving his hands into his pockets and motioning back to the plane sitting behind him with his head.

"I've come to deliver this, a sort of thank you from the Allied Forces, for your impressive work Cipher. You see, when Osean ground forces entered Hoffnung during the...unexpected firestorm the bombers caused, they managed to capture a factory warehouse before it was destroyed by Belkan forces and Allied bombers." explained Maxwell.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Inside that factory they found a stockpile of experimental weaponry that Belka had developed but never got around to using. Most of it was taken by Osea, but I managed to strike a deal with them and secure one of the weapons for Ustio, or more specifically, you."

He gave a thumbs up to one of his entourages and he along with the other men in his party grasped one end of the tarp on either side, pulling it back until the entirety of the plane underneath was revealed to Cipher and the mercenaries. It was painted white and possessed abnormally large engines, forward swept wings and a massive body, meaning it had a high defensive value.

Almost immediately after it was unveiled Cipher was infatuated with the aircraft.

"Holy shit, that is one fine aircraft." he said in awe, Maxwell smiling.

"I thought you'd like it. According to the reports and specs we found alongside it, it's name is the ADFX-01 Morgan, an all-weather multirole aircraft equipped with a powerful GIL-30mm cannon, the standard AIM-9 Sidewinder missile and is able to carry a variety of other conventional weapons including the QAAM and XAGM missiles."

Cipher, without saying a word, approached the ADFX and hugged the front wheel affectionately, the other mercenaries watching awkwardly as he did so. Cipher glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "What? I really like jets."

They all laughed as a maintenance crew arrived to replace Cipher's beloved F-15C with the Morgan, the pilot himself going with them to oversee the paint job he wanted to give it. It was moments like this that allowed the battle-worn pilots to somewhat forget they were in the midst of war and return to some level of normalcy.

Who could've guessed it was about to get much, _much_ worse.

\- Unknown Location -

\- April 10th, 2016 2400 hrs -

The man in the labcoat walked the floor of the massive underground facility with a smile on his face, revelling at what the engineers under his command had been able to do. Before him were five aircraft that had been resurrected from the past under the highest levels of secrecy, and he was not disappointed.

He approached one and held up a clipboard with a digital interface built into it, giving it the likeness of a tablet, and tapped a button. Suddenly a string of ones and zeroes emerged on it and he smiled when they were translated to english.

"_Greetings, sir._"

"It's good to see you too." said the man aloud, the translator taking the text and transforming it into binary after he finished.

He walked down the line after finishing his conversation with the unknown entity and arrived at the final jet, a sixth not apart of the first five, colored grey, white and black with gold markings on its canard wings, wings and vertical stabilizers. He approached the lowered down cockpit interior and looked down proudly at the CPU that controlled the aircraft.

"Is there something I can do for you sir?" asked a voice from the circular CPU unit, the man shaking his head while maintaining his smile.

"No, of course not. Has everything already been uploaded into your memory?"

"Yes. The files have been locked in my memory units for future use."

"Good."


	17. The Stage of Apocolypse

A/N Finally, the climax of the infamous Belkan War, where everything goes to absolute shit. It would be so cool if they did a HD remake of all the past Ace Combat games like everyone is hoping and when this part comes up the nuclear explosions would look so freaking cool and terrifying at the same time. And then the meteors over Megalith and also the descent of the SOLG over Oured in the Unsung War.

Chapter 16 - The Stage of Apocalypse

_Then nothingness was not, nor existence. There was no air then, nor heavens beyond it. Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?_

When the briefing began, Cipher looked back at Larry one last time and noticed that today he looked different from the way he's been the past couple of days. He looked more focused today, determined to accomplish some unknown goal it seemed.

"There are still pockets of resistance holed up in the industrial city of Sudentor. Although fleeing, the Belkan army continues to fight back and are using the Waldreich Mountains as a final line of defence in an attempt to prevent our army from reaching northern Belka. For this mission, we would like you to assist the Allied ground troops by clearing the skies of enemy fighters."

Sudentor appeared on screen and multiple enemy positions were marked around it, Cipher guessing that the city would be a fortress with all the weapons they had stockpiled there.

"The South Belka Munitions Factory is located in Sudentor, which means the remaining troops, although few in number, are well outfitted. Head to the designated operations rendezvous location at Point 203. Dismissed."

\- Waldreich Mountains -

\- 025'11'04"N 233'53'02"E -

\- June 6th, 1995 1450 hrs -

Cipher and Larry were the first to pass by a large castle sitting at the top of a short drumlin over looking a lake, PJ and Crow Squadron following close behind. The Waldreich Mountains were looming before them past the small town the castle rested beside, meaning they were close to the rendezvous point with the Allied ground forces.

"PJ, when are you finally gonna propose?" asked Crow 1 to tease with the younger member once again, PJ growling again.

"Can you stop with that? Jeez…"

"Man, I don't know about your girlfriend but you two sound like the perfect married couple." said Cipher with a snicker, Crow 2 laughing outloud while PJ and Crow 1 sent various curse words their way.

Larry, however, remained silent.

"Galm Team, Crow Team, do you read me? Head for Waldreich to take out any remnant forces the Belkans could have positioned out there." ordered Eagle Eye, Cipher doing a barrel role in his newly outfitted ADFX-01 Morgan as a response.

The paint job he had gotten on it was quite simple but was reminiscent of Larry's. Up until it main the fuselage the entire left wing had been painted the color of blue his F-15C had while the rest of the plane remained the same pasty white it first had when Cipher received it. He had added on QAAMs to the standard AIM-9 Sidewinders the plane carried and he was loving it.

"_God this plane is badass. It's so maneuverable._" thought Cipher with a smile before he noticed Larry was beginning to lag behind everyone.

Eagle Eye noticed too and beat him to the punch by asking first. "Galm 2, what's the problem? You're behind."

"Don't worry. I'll catch up." replied Larry in a slightly dejected tone.

"This is PJ from Crow Team. Galm 2, is there a problem with your craft?"

This time it took longer for Larry to respond, his silence telling Cipher there was indeed something wrong with his Buddy.

"Nah...I'm just sad."

He was about to ask what he was so worked up about before all of a sudden Eagle Eye received an urgent transmission from the Allied Forces detailing a new mission, one that once he read it completely shocked him. He was able to hide his surprise well, however.

"Emergency transmission from Allied HQ. A Belkan bomber squadron equipped with nuclear weapons has taken off for Ustio."

"What?!" stammered PJ, Cipher nearly choking on the breath he just inhaled.

"Enemy bombers are approaching this airspace. Galm Team, Crow Team, head to intercept!" ordered Eagle Eye as he updated their radars to show a massive aerial squadron of multiple bombers and escort fighters entering their operational airspace and speeding south fast.

"Dammit...Galm 1, roger." replied Cipher with a growl as he gunned it for the squadron.

"Crow 1, roger."

"Crow 2, moving to engage enemy."

"I'll stop them." said PJ as he fell in with his squadron while Cipher took the lead.

"Ustio's my home, I won't let them destroy it." said Cipher, determined to put an end to Belka's plans.

He looked at his radar and his mood got better when he saw Larry pick up speed to join up with them as they neared the enemy bomber squadron, meaning that whatever was plaguing his Buddy had finally been put to rest. He was wrong.

"This war would end if they blew everything up…"

"Where the hell is this coming from Larry?" asked Cipher, baffled at him for even thinking of that idea.

"Worry about yourself." said Larry back harshly before hewent silent, completely taking Cipher off guard with his statement.

He looked back at the radar and judged the distance between them and the enemy bomber squadron, determining they were halfway there and would right on top them in a a couple of minutes at most. They obviously had a decent amount of fighters, but just by the concentration of enemies he guessed there were around fifteen bombers in the squadron. And if every one of them contained a nuclear bomb...it would be devastating if they were to pass.

"We can't let them use those nukes. Do whatever it takes to stop them." ordered Eagle Eye as they armed their weapons systems and came around to face the enemy head on, the gap between them closing quicker and quicker with each passing second.

"Prepare to engage enemy. Five miles remaining."

Cipher licked his lips, sweat starting to appear on the palms of his hands as he gripped the flight stick tightly in anxiousness. His blood started to boil and his mind raced, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through every fiber of his being exciting him beyond measure. He lived for the fight, it was in his blood, and having to shoot down bombers carrying nuclear bombs to save Ustio was giving an adrenaline high.

"_Come on you bastards, show yourselves._" thought Cipher as the first three bombers of the enemy formation got closer and closer.

"I see them! Enemy bombers with nukes!" said PJ as the enemy finally showed themselves from the clouds, Cipher grinning as he targeted the first BM-335 and went after it like a hungry predator.

Two missiles was all it took the bring the mighty titan down, its fuselage bursting into flames while its right wing was completely ripped apart, Cipher going after the next one. Larry shot down two enemy fighters attempting to deter them from the bombers, allowing Crow Team to follow up behind and take down another BM-335.

"Two planes, no...Three planes are down. But this has no bearing on our plans." said a Belkan pilots from a bomber in the rear of the formation, Cipher raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"_What are you guys up to…?_"

He fired two XLAA missiles and brought down a pair of fighters charging straight at him, the next bomber on his kill list receiving a missile straight to the cockpit that killed the pilots instantly. Next up were three Belkan SU-27s that were trying to gang up on him, take him down with the advantage of greater numbers. True, they did outnumber him, but he held the advantage in skill.

"Bring it on." he said as he banked to the right and pulled a hard turn, shooting one of the planes down when he followed behind him.

When he was about to go after the other two planes PJ and Larry swooped over him and grabbed the kills, allowing them to continue on their mission and target the bombers.

"We must carry out our duty."

When another bomber went down, Cipher noticed that even though their allies were dropping and that some of the pilots had a chance to bail out and live another day, he saw no white parachutes flying out of their careening aircraft and that they instead chose to go down with their aircraft. It was if they wanted to die...like there was possibility that something worse awaited them.

"Crow 3 to AWACS. There are too many enemy aircraft. Please identify the craft with the nuclear weapon." asked PJ after shooting down another BM-335, bringing their numbers down to nine bombers.

"You'll have to shoot all of them down." replied back AWACS with a grim tone, PJ gulping at the thought of that many nuclear bombs getting dropped on Ustio, let alone any country for that matter.

"Those damn Belkans…" cursed Crow 1 with a growl.

Suddenly four other targets popped up on radar from behind the bomber squadron, and after Eagle Eye analyzed their IFF signals he determined they were more Belkan pilots flying MIG-31s. To their surprise, however, instead of attacking the mercenaries they went straight for their own allies in the bombers and their fighter jet escorts.

"What the hell?" said Cipher in shock.

"Warning. Change course immediately. Return to base or you will be shot down." ordered the squadron's flight lead to the bombers squadron.

Their silence told him all he needed to know and in the blink of an eye the four Belkan MIGs began attacking and shooting down the enemy fighters and bombers alongside the mercenaries.

"What's going on here?" questioned Cipher again after a MIG-31 saved him from an attacking SU-27, but his question was not answered and instead left to hang out in the void.

"Stay calm and get ready." ordered the lead bomber of the formation as their numbers continued to dwindle until only he and two other bombers remained.

"Hurry, shoot them down!" said Crow 2 as they attacked the remaining bombers with the Belkan MIG-31s and made short work of them, finally eliminating the threat they posed with their nuclear weapons.

"All planes confirmed down! We did it!" exclaimed PJ, Cipher letting out a sigh of relief when the final bomber went up in flames.

When everything seemed to be settled, the sky suddenly brightened to the point of totally blinding the mercenaries and Belkan pilots.

"What the-?!"

The sky seemed to turn to fire when the clouds were pushed back by a massive rush of air, Cipher clenching his eyes shut when the shock wave struck his plane and rattled it and his body to its core, their radios instantly going dead and screaming static in their ears. The sky then darkened and turned to a dark orange and red as on the horizon a massive mushroom cloud of fire rose up into the sky, followed by a thundering boom that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves.

The temperature within the core of the mushroom cloud reached a temperature close to that of the sun's interior, anything caught within its immediate blast zone instantly getting vaporized. Cipher blinked and pulled down his visor, just barely managing to watch as the mushroom cloud filled the sky with smoke and fire, a truly horrifying sight that sent chills running up and down his spine. Suddenly a second boom reached his eardrums and off in the distance he spotted another blast emerge from the earth, followed by similar looking mushroom cloud.

He instantly righted his aircraft and had trouble making out what was around him, the HUD and electrical systems on his Morgan distorted and almost to the point of shorting out as a result of the nuclear blast.

"This is Eagle Eye! All teams, damage report!" yelled Eagle Eye in a scratchy and barely audible voice, Cipher jumping again when another nuclear blast emerged in the distance.

"This is Crow 3! Negative! Unable to confirm the situation!" yelled back PJ, his senses still jarred by the sudden explosion.

All they were trying to do was figure out if their friends were still alive and what had just occurred.

"What the hell is going on here?!" sputtered Crow 2, Cipher wiping sweat off his brow while his heart continued to beat out of his chest.

The sight of the nuclear explosions had burned their images into his mind and all he could see and hear was the fire and devastating boom each mushroom cloud had created. So far he had only witnessed two, but he had no idea if there had been more and how many people had already been killed as a result.

"Damit! My gauges are malfunctioning."

"What was that light? Am I all right?!"

Larry held his head in his hands and was slowly rocking back and forth, the nuclear explosions having driven a spike through his heart and mind and scarring him for life possibly. He could already hear the screams of the innocent people caught in the explosions reverberating in his mind, their horrified expressions as their family and friends were instantly vaporized before their very eyes solidifying in his eyes.

"Larry, can you read me?"

He eyes opened and he looked at his radar, spotting a single signature at the very top corner of the operational airspace and after registering the voice he knew who it was.

"Your fairy godmother's here, Cinderella."

"Larry, who is that?" asked Cipher after finally shaking himself out of his dazed stupor, managing to spot his Buddy flying a few meters away.

"How can you say that after what just happened?" snarled Larry at the unknown pilot.

Cipher listened to the voice when the pilot spoke and he instantly remembered it from the engagement over B7R, that Osean pilot with the Black Widow being its owner.

"_Wizard 1? What the hell is he doing here?_"

"Today is your lucky day Larry. Like your birthday." said Wizard 1 again, Larry sighing deeply as he grasped his jet's flight stick.

"And you're here to pull me off in a magical carriage...To hell, I suppose…" he muttered before he looked to his left and spotted Cipher heading his way.

He banked right and maneuvered around him, Cipher watching him as he did so. He suspected that he was just turning around to come up on his side, but his attention was quickly drawn away from his wingman and to a formation of six unknown fighter jets that appeared out of nowhere in the airspace.

They weren't transmitting a friendly or enemy signal, so he had absolutely no idea what they were doing, and he still couldn't figure out why Wizard 1 was outside the operational airspace and even here at the moment. Had he seen the nuclear explosions? Had the Allied Forces sent reinforcements?

"Buddy...I've found a reason to fight."

His missile alert sirens blared in his ears and Cipher couldn't believe his eyes when he had to dodge a pair of missiles fired at him from behind, their source none other then Larry himself.

"Larry what the fuck are you doing?! I'm your ally, your friend! shouted Cipher as Larry continued to chase him, taking pot shots at him with his gun while attempting to shoot him down with more sidewinders.

"Galm 2! What are you doing? That's not the enemy! Cease fire!" ordered Eagle Eye, but Larry didn't listen and continued to attack Cipher as the unknown fighters continued to close in on them.

"Warning! Enemy reinforcements detected!"

"Reinforcements?! From which squadron?!" stammered PJ in utter confusion as the unknown fighters, SU-37s, attacked CIpher with everything they had, not even bothering with Larry when he broke off from the fight and started to speed towards Wizard 1's location.

"_Who the hell are these guys?!_" thought Cipher as he shot down one of the attacking Terminators, noticing that Larry had retreated from the fight and was flying towards the edge of the airspace. "Larry! Where the fuck are you going?!"

No response.

"Galm 2 is leaving the combat airspace. Pixy, what's going on? Respond!" asked Eagle Eye as Larry got closer and closer to the edge of the radar.

"Larry, speak to me dammit!" demanded Cipher after shooting down another enemy fighter.

Suddenly one of the Terminators fired a missile directly in front of him and it detonated prematurely in a flash of light, the blast activating all the photoreceptor cells in Cipher's eyes and momentarily blinding him while they made a hasty escape.

After Cipher blinked several times and he noticed the unknown fighters had disappeared off radar, Larry left him a final, chilling message that sent a shiver up his spine.

"This is where we go our separate ways."

Then he completely vanished off radar, connection with them getting cut off almost instantly. Cipher was left speechless and heartbroken, PJ and Crow Team were completely in disarray and unsure of the situation around him, and the four Belkan MIG-31 pilots that assisted them in the attack on the enemy bombers earlier were struggling on their own, but it seemed like they were going to stick with them.

"All enemy planes are down. Return to base. They've all gone insane!" said Eagle Eye, his nerves still shaken by the whole ordeal.

Cipher managed to round up the Crow Team members and after communicating with the flight lead of the Belkan Foxhound squadron they formed up and started the long trip back to Ustio while, off in the distance, the flaming mushroom clouds continued to grow bigger.

It was if the apocalypse had just come to Earth.

\- We were unable to confirm if the enemy squadron you engaged was equipped with nuclear weapons. We don't know all the details yet, but multiple nuclear detonations have been verified within the Belkan border.

\- Present Day -

Cipher gasped as he woke up from a nightmare, breathing heavily as he wiped the copious amount of sweat from his forehead and rubbed his eyeballs.

"_God dammit...again?_" he thought irritably as he tried to wipe his mind of the images of the nuclear explosions he witnessed first hand that day, the visions coming back every so often as a nightmare where he was on the ground and felt every fiber of his body get burned and vaporized in an instant.

The pain was so real to the point he felt he was actually there, experiencing it.

He sighed and massaged his temples again, looking over at his alarm clock and groaning when its digital face gave him back 12:07 A.M. He ruffled his pillow up and rested his head, closing his eyes and after a few minutes of silence he managed to fall back into the embracing arms of sleep.


	18. Lying in Deceit

A/N Atomic bombings, in my opinion, is the most horrific thing that one can witness. Actually, anything along the lines of so many innocent people being killed is horrific. I mean, watching it on T.V is one thing, but actually being there *in person and experiencing it for yourself, like Cipher and company had with the nuclear detonations over the Waldreich Mountains...there's nothing that can describe it.

Chapter 17 - Lying in Deceit

_All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee the history of the two would become one_

'June 6th, 1995. I was still in school at the time...but I'll never forget the images I saw on the news that day. The Belkans set off seven nuclear explosions on their own soil. Maybe their old, militaristic leaders couldn't stand the idea of the Allied Forces invading their land...And declared to the world that the land to the north was the Holy Land of Belka.'

'According to official records, more than 20,000 people died. It was a grand self-sacrifice that engulfed all. The only thing remaining was the desolate landscape. How did the people of Belka feel about what they saw? And what did he think of it, when he looked down on it from the sky?'

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- June 13th, 1995 1400 hrs -

The entire base was silent. Not a single thing moved, not a single person spoke.

They had all seen the live images of the nuclear detonations over Waldreich, and when Cipher, PJ and the rest of Crow Team discovered that there had been seven triggered on that day...the feeling of sadness and despair was overwhelming. The thought of Belka killing their own citizens just to prevent the Allied Forces from entering Nord Belka, the so called 'Holy Land', made them all boil with rage.

That day the entire base had gathered around their TVs and witnessed the explosions played over again and again, the death toll of over 20,000 innocent civilians flashing over their eyes constantly.

It was paralyzing.

No one, however, was more deeply, emotionally and physically shocked and scarred then Cipher. And it wasn't just because of the nuclear explosions that had rendered him just an empty shell, unable to speak or think properly without bursting into uncontrollable fits of crying or rage. It was Larry, his wingman, his Buddy, that had done the most damage.

They had been through everything together from the beginning of the war. But for him to suddenly attack him without rhyme or reason and very nearly kill him, and to top it all off he leaves the airspace with not even an explanation for his actions...it drove a stake right through Cipher's heart.

Even Liz, who had been staying at the base ever since she and Cipher had returned from Tauberg, couldn't get through to him no matter how many times she tried.

"He's been like that for an entire week now. I can't even begin to imagine how torn up he is inside." whispered PJ to Crow 1 as they observed Cipher from a distance with Liz, the pilot sitting on a crate beside the hangar he had shared with Larry.

Now it was only his plane that occupied its empty expanse, like half of him had just vanished.

"I just can't stand to see him like this." said Liz when Eagle Eye walked up to them with his hands in his pockets and a concerned expression.

"Me neither. And I still can't believe that Larry went off and left like he did. The bastard didn't even explain why." he snarled, his animosity for his former friend gnawing away at him like a parasite.

"Should we try again to get through to him?" asked Liz with a glance at him.

"We have to. I just got mission orders from Allied Forces HQ."

Liz nodded and she readied herself before walking towards Cipher, his head perking up slightly when he heard her approach and than dipping back down.

"Cipher."

He didn't respond, so she looked left and right, making sure no one was close enough to hear, and took a deep breath and sighed.

"Alek."

He turned around slowly and glared at her with red, puffy eyes, the anger and sadness swirling around inside them enough to tell her that it was far worse now then it ever was before.

"Don't say that name around here." he growled, Liz frowning at his attitude.

At least she had gotten him to talk, however, so this was a start.

"You wouldn't have responded if I didn't." she replied, Cipher scowling at her before he turned back around.

"You can't stay like this Cipher. Your friends need you."

"So what? This hell's going to continue as long the Allies keep pushing. I don't give a damn about them anymore. I'm finished." snarled Cipher viciously, Liz clenching her jaw in growing frustration at his inability to cooperate.

"But you're the only one who can stop this war!"

"That's what I've been trying to do this whole damn time!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, Liz jumping while PJ, Crow 1 and Eagle Eye turning their attention to him at his sudden outburst.

"Everything I've done has been to stop this war. But no, we keep on fighting because the bigots running the Allied Forces are too damn stupid to realize there's nothing else left to gain! And whose to say that what happened to Waldriech will happen again? Only this time when we're knocking on the gates of the capital they go on and fucking blow up the entire city!?" he said again as he whirled around and faced her, his eyes piercing her very heart and soul. "How can you be so sure that it won't happen again?"

Liz was left speechless. How could she respond to a statement like that? The truth was that she had no idea what to say to something as serious and dire as that, and with her silence Cipher turned back around.

"Hmph, that's what I-"

"I know it won't happen because you'll stop it before it does."

His eyes widened and he slowly looked back at her again, seeing the smile spreading across her lips.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I know something like that won't happen again because you'll be the one to stop it." she said again before walking up to him and sitting down beside him on another crate. "Even though I've known you for a pretty short amount of time, I already know that you're one of those guys that when he's determined to do something he'll stop at nothing to accomplish it."

"Well...I-"

"What you've been trying to do to stop this war is the same as how you tried to find your brothers back at Avalon. Even though you had not seen them for however many years and you had no idea what had happened to them in that time frame, you still tried. And I know you still haven't given up yet, right?" she asked, Cipher looking down at the ground and closing his eyes as he nodded.

"Then why are you giving up on your friends? I'm sorry, but what Larry did to you was wrong. Damn him for trying to kill you. But do you want to know why he did it?" asked Liz, Cipher looking back up at her. "He did so because _he_ _gave up_. I noticed it in his eyes when I first met him. He had given up on the war a long time ago, and those nuclear detonations was the straw that broke the camel's back. And it seems to me that this Wizard 1 person who was there when he deserted had given up too."

"So what do I do?" asked Cipher, Liz throwing an arm over his shoulder and nestling her head on his shoulder.

"You do what you do best, and that's be a badass." she said with a smile, Cipher chuckling.

He hugged her and smiled, resting his chin on her head for a few seconds while taking in a deep breath to calm himself and release from his body all his tension and sorrow.

"Thanks. I needed that." he said, letting go of her and standing up with her.

They walked back over to Eagle Eye, Crow 1 and PJ and when they saw them holding hands and the slight smile on his face they realized that everything had been fixed.

"You alright Cipher?" asked PJ just to be sure, the pilot nodding a few times.

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry I was in that funk for so long. I kinda lost my head." he replied, Crow 1 patting him on the shoulder.

"It's all good. We all get those kind of things at some point in our lives."

"Alright. Come on, let's get to the briefing room. We have a new mission." said Eagle Eye before he turned and led the group back towards the main complex.

A few minutes later Cipher and the Crow Team were all seated in the briefing room, the Base Commander walking in and clearing his throat before beginning.

"We have discovered remaining enemy troops gathered in the Yering Mine area, in northwest Belka. Numerous divisions of the Belkan Army refuse to accept the change in government and are disobeying the command to disband. Your mission is to clear out the remaining Belkan troops, and if the reports are accurate, there are still plenty of them." he said, the briefing system setting up a detailed map of the target area and highlighting specific enemy positions.

Second it created a secondary zone to the west of the zone and detailed it as 'Return Line', Cipher remembering something similar to that when they had "inspected" Glatisant earlier on in the war.

"Heierlark Air Force Base, located in Osean territory, has been arranged for your refueling and rearmament. If your tank is low or you need to be restock with ammunition, go there and they'll help you out."

"_Seems Osea's got some more land._" thought Cipher, remembering that Heierlark was an air base that was located in South Belka.

"To compensate for losses in Galm Team, Crow Team will be joining you. We're counting on your best performance yet. Dismissed!"

\- Mt. Schirm, Nord Belka -

\- 030'27'41"N 220'34'10"E -

\- June 13th, 1995 1600 hrs -

Cipher entered the airspace first, PJ and the rest of Crow Team following behind. Cipher looked over and grinned at PJ's F-16C as it flew up beside him in wingman's position.

"Looking good PJ." he said, the squadron insignia for Crow on PJ's fuselage having been replaced by Galm's before they had left the base. "How does it feel to be Galm 2?"

"I have some pretty big shoes to fill." he replied with a nervous laugh, Crow 2 laughing from his craft.

"You'll be fine Kid. They wouldn't have put you with Cipher if they didn't believe you had the right stuff."

"Yeah. We'll be following your orders Galm 1, Galm _2_, so take the lead." said Crow 1 as he maneuvered his plane behind them, Crow 2 following the same path until they flew in a double stacked formation with Galm out front.

"Alright gentlemen let's do this right. There are two rivers leading up to the mining complex. I want Crow Team to take the far left route and take out any enemy units you come across. Galm Team will be taking the right route. We'll both meet up at the mountain and take out the rest of the targets as one unit. Got it?" ordered Cipher.

"Roger that Galm 1. Good luck." said Crow 1 as they broke off towards the west, CIpher and PJ diving down towards the right to go for their path.

Cipher did a flip in his ADFX-01 and grinned, the feeling he felt flying the aircraft almost as if the plane weren't even there. It was so easy to control and the maneuverability it offered was exceptional. If Belka had managed to mass produce these aircraft in time for the war, there was no doubt they would've given the Allied Forces a hell of a time coupled with their already exceptional pilots.

"A 'Return Line' is located on the west side of the operation airspace. Pass over this line whenever you need repairs or supplies."

"Roger AWACS. See you once this operation's over." said Cipher as they approached a squadron of four Belkan fighters, MIG-21s.

"_MIG-21s? Have they been reduced to using antiques again?_"

They didn't react to PJ and him flying up on their six and in the blink of an eye the two mercenaries shot down all four aircraft with no alert being sent out to the other forces in the area. Since they had a minute before they reached the next concentration, PJ took advantage in the momentary pause in action to strike up a conversation with his new flight lead.

"It's too bad about Pixy. I guess we won't be flying the skies together anymore…"

"Yeah...It's definitely different without him around." replied Cipher before they arrived at small quarry with several tanks positioned around the complex.

"Fox 4." he said as he let loose a group of XAGMs, the ground attack projectiles arching over to their targets and coming down right on top of their heads, destroying them at the same time PJ cleaned up the AA and SAM units hidden in the forest around the area.

There were still more to be destroyed, however, as more SAM units revealed themselves from the foliage and began to fire missiles back up at the duo.

"We've got company. Apparently Ustio's "Demon Lord" has arrived." said a Belkan army officer as the two fighter passed by overhead, CIpher smirking at how much his reputation had grown among the enemy.

"Let's wrap this up PJ. We've got a war to end." he said after taking out a group of SAMs, PJ replying by eliminating the last three enemies in the area.

At that same time Crow Team finished mopping the floor with the enemies based at the other river, allowing the two groups to push on up their individual paths and approach the next groupings of enemy units.

Another squadron of Belkan fighters appeared on radar and CIpher and PJ broke off from main path to engage and take them out, but to their surprise they didn't react with as much force as a Belkan pilot would do normally...something that concerned them greatly.

"They aren't fighting back. And why would a place like this have such a large amount of armaments?"

"I don't know. We'll worry about that later. Right now our objective is to wipe this area clear of all Belkan forces." said Cipher as they encountered a second quarry filled with more Belkan troops, the two mercenaries quick work of them in a matter of a minutes.

"Transfer is complete up to the Number 6. The rest will be done soon."

"_What are they talking about?_" thought Cipher as they moved up the river once again, discovering and taking down a squadron of five MIG-31s that attempted to stop them from reaching the mine.

Immediately after they shot them down another squadron of MIG-21s appeared from up above and attacked them full force, a major step up from the ones they've fought before when they first started this mission. It took longer but in the end the Belkan fighters were no match for the two mercenaries.

After that little interruption they arrived at the final concentration of enemy units before the main complex, and what they met was stiff resistance from Belkan fighters, helicopters and AA and SAM units. They really didn't want them to reach the mountain...like there was something the Belkans didn't want to be seen.

"PJ, you handle the ground targets. I'll take care of these fighters and helicopters." ordered Cipher before breaking off to shoot down a pair of Belkan fighter jets attempting to flank him.

Just like before, the enemy forces stationed at the quarry were taken out quickly by the two mercenaries, the Belkans unable to lay even a finger on them. Once the last enemy was taken out by Cipher they banked to the left and met up with Crow Team a few miles out from the main mining complex. In the distance they could see Mt. Schirm, the location of their target.

"That is one huge facility." said PJ in awe of the complex's size when they got close to view it.

"Transport planes preparing to leave the area. You want us to shoot 'em down?" asked Crow 2 once they detected a group of five C-5 Galaxies halfway towards the edge of the combat zone.

"Leave them be. Focus on destroying all enemy units here." ordered Cipher as they descended from the sky and attacked the mining complex, the air raid sirens activating once the AA and SAM units began to fire.

As he came around after destroying a container ships in the process of being filled with ammunition Cipher's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of a huge hangar built close to the mountain, it's size bigger than that of a professional football stadium. It was barren and empty though, so he could only imagine what could have been resting within it.

"What's that huge hangar for?" questioned PJ when he noticed the large structure as well.

"All enemy units around the mining complex have been destroyed. Galm Team, Crow Team, eliminate all enemy facilities close to the mountain just to be sure." informed Eagle Eye after the last SAM unit was destroyed by Crow 2.

"Roger. I'll destroy the hangar." said Cipher as he dove down and fired a pair of XAGMs at the massive hangar's ceiling, the resulting explosion making the large structure collapse in on itself.

"That's already been moved. No problems." said a Belkan officer in an unsettlingly calm voice.

"_What's already been moved? And to where?_" he thought as PJ destroyed a couple of smaller hangars close to the mountain's mining entrance.

"Our deaths will guarantee the operation be completed successfully." said the Belkan officer again before the control tower he was inside went up in flames, silencing him.

"All attack targets have been destroyed. Galm Team, not bad for a couple of rookies."

"Excuse me? Who are you calling a rookie?" asked Cipher as he formed up with PJ and Crow Team for the return trip, Eagle Eye chuckling to himself at how much he reacted to the joke.

"Jeez, take it easy Cipher. Just a little joke."

"You're damn right it is." he replied before glancing over at PJ. "You doin' okay Kid? What was it like being Galm's number 2?"

"There's definitely more people shooting at you, that's for sure." he said, his response making all the mercenaries laugh as they exited the airspace.

\- The mission to clear out remaining Belka resistance was a success. As to the intended purpose for using the giant hangar described in the report, rest assured that intelligence is looking into the matter.

\- Present Day -

"So what happened to Larry?" asked Jasper, Cipher sighing as he got up from his recliner and stretched,

"That'll come later. Right now I've got to rest." he said as he walked into the kitchen to retrieve a beer from the fridge.

Jasper nodded and went upstairs to his room, leaving Cipher alone to sit back in his recliner and watch whatever was on T.V. He flicked through the channels until arriving at the sports channel and settled in for a football game between the Ustio Freedom Fighters and the Belkan Knights. It was going to be a good game.

\- White House, Oured, Osea -

"Thank you. That'll be all." said Harling as he shook the hand of one of his advisors and sent him off, returning to the paperwork spread out on his desk in the oval office.

His eyes caught something and he glanced up, smiling at the picture of him standing shoulder to shoulder with Anderson and the pilots of Razgriz after they had rescued him from Stier Castle six years before. He picked it up and looked closely at one person in particular, the flight lead of the squadron that had saved him twice.

"_Cipher...I wonder where he is now?_"

"Sir. There's two men that are wanting to see you. They say it's urgent." said a voice from the intercom on his desk, Harling reaching over and pressing a button.

"Send them up."

A few minutes later two suited men opened the doors to his office and in walked two scientists in labcoats and a metal briefcase in their possession.

"What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

"Mr. President, we have some...unfortunate news to tell you." said the scientist on the right as he sat down on one of the couches and set the briefcase on a table, unlocking it with a series of clicks.

"We work at the Riass Space Center in Usea and while doing routine checks with our high powered space telescope we discovered something that caught our attention." he explained, Harling getting up from his desk and walking over until he stood behind him and his colleague.

"Well let's see." he said, the scientist pressing a few keys and opening footage caught from Hubble Space Telescope for him to watch.

The President watched the video play out and quickly his expression morphed from that of intrigue to shock and slight terror. He looked back at the second scientist as if to confirm that what he was being shown was real, and he slowly nod his head with a grim look.

"How many people know about this?" he asked, trying to get more information out of them.

"The higher-ups at Riass, the leaders back at I.S.A.F and Erusea...and you, sir."

Harling stood back up and returned to his desk, sitting down and massaging his temples in trying to figure out the best course of action to take. He looked back at the picture again and after a few seconds of silence he leaned over and pressed the button on his intercom.

"Send out a call for a meeting of the world's leaders and that the meeting place is at Sand Island. Send a call ahead to the Razgriz as well to let them know we're coming. Let no one in the news know of this."

"Yes sir, Mr. President." replied the person at the other end before he took his finger off the button and sighed deeply.

"I just have one more question for you two…" he said to the two scientists as they packed up their briefcase and got ready to leave.

"How long do we have?"


	19. The Final Overture

A/N The suspense is building, khehe…

Chapter 18 - The Final Overture

_All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee the history of the two would become one._

"Cipher!"

He whirled around and was instantly knocked off balance for a few seconds when Liz threw herself into his arms and shuddered, PJ and Eagle Eye running up a few seconds with concerned expressions.

"What's going on?" he asked, Eagle Eye running a hand through his hair and sighing a bit.

"It was my fault. I told her where you two would be going next and she, you know…" he explained before trailing off at the end, Cipher nodding once before he began to stroke Liz's hair gently, managing to calm her down after a minute.

"They've taken over Anfang…" she said quietly, CIpher not quite hearing her.

"Hm?"

"The remnants of the Belkan Army refusing to accept the government changes. They're going to take over the city." she said again with a shudder, Cipher's heart constricting at the sight of her on the verge of tears. "That's where I was born...I don't want the city to be destroyed!"

"And it won't." said PJ with a grin as he walked up and stood beside Cipher, Liz glancing over at him and sniffling.

"Not with us in the air. We'll make sure those bastards don't lay a finger on Anfang."

Liz smiled and she withdrew from Cipher's embrace, wiping the small tear droplets that had gathered in the corners of her eyes away with her hand. "Thank you."

"Let's go Cipher, PJ." said Eagle Eye with a smirk before he went off towards the main building, Cipher hugging Liz once more before he sprinted with PJ after him.

She shuffled in place for a few seconds before she glanced over her shoulder and noticed an abandoned hangar occupied by a single F-16C. It was PJ's old plane. After coming back from the mission over Mt. Schirm his old wingmen from Crow had surprised him with a brand new F-15C, a sort of initiation gift for him to go with his promotion to Galm's number two.

She walked inside and flicked on the lights, being sure to close the doors behind her, and observed the elegant aircraft.

"She's a beauty, isn't she."

She looked over her shoulder and saw Crow 1 walk over to her and place his hands in his pockets, looking up at the Falcon with her.

"Yeah. Can it still fly?" she asked with a slight grin, the mercenary glancing at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course it can." he replied before he noticed a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "What are you planning?"

"Oh...nothing in particular."

\- Briefing Room -

\- June 20th, 1995 1350 hrs -

Cipher sat down with PJ after the two had eaten some lunch and got dressed into their flight suits, leaning back and waiting as the other mercenaries joining them took their seats for the briefing. The Base Commander walked in a pressed a button on the remote in his hand, the briefing system coming online a few short seconds later.

"We've received a report that remaining Belkan troops are converging on Belka's northeastern coast of Anfang. The enemy is deploying land, sea and air strike teams." he said when Anfang appeared on screen, markers appearing to signify enemy units on all fronts soon after.

"These troops refuse to accept the Belkan interim government's official capitulation, and are adamantly resisting. In light of the current political situation, this mission will be a top-secret operation carried out entirely by mercenaries. The mission will be called Operation: Broom, and will be divided into three separate areas.

Thier marker appeared west of the city and the enemy concentrations were split apart into three distinct groups, flashing a few times when they came into existence. One was named Mercury, the second Mars, and the final one got the name Jupiter.

"The Mars strike team will attack enemy naval vessels and surface troops along the coast. The Mercury strike team will engage land units and enemy fighters that are using a tunnel as a makeshift air base. The Jupiter strike team will be responsible for maintaining air superiority after the Mars and Mercury teams have completed their missions. This operation will begin at 1600 hrs, when the capitulation ceremony takes place in Lumen. Mars team will strike first, followed by Mercury and than Jupiter. Choose carefully which team you wish to join. That is all."

The lights flickered on and Cipher stood up with PJ. He turned and was about to walk out the door when he noticed that Liz was standing in the back of the room leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. He dismissed it at first considering she liked to listen to the briefings from time to time, but he quickly did a double take when he noticed that she was dressed in a flight suit as well.

"Uh, what's with the getup?" he asked, Liz grinning a little.

"Oh this? Yeah, well, when we first met I lied a little about the whole graduating from the University of Dinsmark thing...kinda." she said while twiddling her thumbs.

"Please, explain."

"Well...I did go to the University of Dinsmark. That's a true fact. But there's two campuses that a student who goes there is required to attend. One is for scholastics, and the other is military. I attended both and graduated with top honors from both." she explained, Cipher raising an eyebrow and smirking a little.

"And let me guess, you graduated as a pilot?" he asked, Liz nodding.

"Yes."

"And I can also guess from your outfit that you plan on joining us on the operation?"

"Correct. Crow 1 gave me PJ's old F-16C."

Cipher chuckled before he made for the door, motioning with his hand for her to follow. "Alright. You're gonna be sticking close by to me and PJ then, okay?"

"I don't have to be babysitted, you know." she said as they left the briefing room.

"Things are gonna be getting pretty crazy out there. Have you ever flown in a combat situation before?" he asked.

"Have you already forgotten I graduated from one of the best military institutions in Belka?"

"So did a lot of the Belkan aces I shot down." replied back Cipher when they left the main building and walked towards their respective hangars to retrieve their jets.

"That doesn't prove anything." she countered with a smirk, Cipher fixing one of his own on her coupled with a cocky chuckle.

"Oh I think it does. It proves that I'm a badass."

"The point is I'll be fine. You won't have to worry about me too much out there." said Liz when they arrived at their hangars, Cipher's being on the left and hers on the right.

"We'll see."

She caught that competitive look in his eyes and she placed a hand on her hip, Cipher raising an eyebrow. "Care to put some money up with that statement?"

"What's going on over here?" asked PJ when he jogged over with the other members of Crow Team, looking back and forth from Liz to Cipher in intrigue.

"Elizabeth here thinks she can hold her own with us out there." he said while crossing his arms, Liz narrowing her eyes while Crow 2 grinned.

"Oh I have got to listen to this. What's the bet?"

"How about…" thought Liz as she tapped her foot on the ground a few times before she grinned evilly. "If I get more kills than you, then you have to take me out on a date in Directus."

"Well that's not so bad." he replied before Liz gripped him by the cuff of his flight suit and pulled him down to where his eyes were level with hers.

"I'm not done yet. You're going to be taking me out to the movies, and we're going to watch the movie that no man would ever want to watch. *Ever." she said viciously, Cipher's expression quickly turning to one of fear when he remembered what she was talking about.

"Oh god _please_ don't make me." he said, PJ and the Crow Team members looking at one another in confusion while Liz's evil grin only grew that much bigger.

"Okay, that's a good one." said Cipher as he straightened his flight suit and stepped back, taking a few moments to think of his side of the bet.

"Alright. And if I win…" he started before he leaned over and whispered something into her ear lowe enough so that no one else could hear.

"I accept." she said, Cipher nodding before he briskly turned around and jogged to his aircraft.

PJ and Crow Team watched him go and they turned back to Liz, who grinned slightly before turning towards her own aircraft.

"What did he say?" asked Crow 1.

"Sorry, but that's a secret." she replied with a wink over her shoulder before she walked off.

\- Anfang, Nord Belka -

\- 034'36'16"N 236'51'01"E -

\- June 20th, 1995 1600 hrs -

Cipher and PJ came down from the clouds forming west of the coastal city of Anfang, the rest of the Mars strike team following behind them as they approached undetected.

"Alright, listen up. We're the first team to hit the beach, with Mercury coming in as soon as our objectives are fulfilled. I want this job done right. Strike fast, hit 'em hard and blindside them. Got it?" ordered Cipher, the other mercenaries with him complying immediately.

Liz looked over at his F-15C and marvelled at how the sun shone off its freshly waxed body and cockpit, PJ in his newly acquired Eagle coming up beside him on the other side. He had mostly kept it painted the standard grey color, but to add his own personal touch he added on purple wingtips on the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.

"Galm Team. Take out Belka's remnant forces assembled at the coastline." spoke Eagle Eye as they neared the city, their nerves tensing up when their radar's were updated with the enemies present.

"Roger that AWACS. We'll be done here shortly so the others can come in." replied Cipher before banking to the left.

PJ and Liz followed him on his attack run on the enemy naval units while the rest of the strike team continued on to the town itself, more specifically the beaches occupied by freshly landed Belkan troops and tanks aiming to assist in holding the town hostage.

"I swear if any of you destroy so much as one house I will hunt you down and cut your balls off." said Liz as a warning, Cipher and PJ immediately bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Yes Ma'am!" they all sputtered for fear of her.

"Damn, you sound scary."

"I'm not that scary...most of the time." replied Liz with a chuckle.

"Enemy air forces approaching. Pick a target once they pass overhead." ordered a Belkan officer on the ground once they noticed the mercenaries, a few explosions on the coastline signifying the attack had already begun.

Cipher squinted and he spotted the Belkan fleet sitting docile off the coast of Anfang, and with a quick glanced he deduced there were barely ten ships out there. He spotted the largest among the group first and when they got closer he blinked a couple of times in disbelief. Than he noticed the two other

"Holy shit. I wonder where they were hiding that."

"What's that Cipher?" asked PJ.

He answered his own question when he spotted the object that Cipher had spotted and had to make a double take at its familiar shape and size. The large flight deck, fighter jets circling overhead like a swarm of angry bees, it all fit.

"Shit they got a carrier! What are we supposed to do with that?"

"Sink it of course! Target it first so they won't be able to get any more planes up in the air!" ordered Cipher before charging full speed at the carrier, arming two missiles on the way and aiming straight for command central.

"Enemy fighters approaching! Activate CIWS fire!" ordered the ship's captain once they got near, a blanket of bullets whizzing out from the carrier's several defenses.

Cipher banked left and right through the fire, eventually getting close enough to let loose his two missiles and pull back. He cursed when they were both gunned down by CIWS fire, and just after him PJ and Liz were driven away by attacking naval fighters. He got out of range of the carrier's defenses and changed his strategy, instead going for the "punch as many holes through its side" as possible route.

He dove down until he was nearly scraping the water's edge and while the carrier's CIWS network was occupied by Liz and PJ he snuck in close and fired two missiles right into the hull, rocking the entire ship and engulfing the side in fire and smoke.

"We've been hit portside! Lower levels are beginning to flood!"

Suddenly out of nowhere a swarm of missiles blew past him as he flew away from the carrier and struck the side and deck of the carrier, igniting a firestorm that spread across the ship in a heartbeat. The multiple explosions ruptured the carrier's frame in split it completely in half, the flame ridden flagship of the rebel Belkan Navy starting to sink in a matter of seconds.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" sputtered PJ in total shock, Cipher turning around and spotting a new ship entering the fray from the direction of Belka's capital.

"This is the _Kirov_-class Cruiser Wilhelm of the Belkan Navy. Attacking mercenaries of the Allied Forces, allow us to lend you a hand." spoke the ship's captain as the de-facto flagship of the Belkan Navy entered the fray by launching a barrage of missiles at the remaining rebel naval ships.

"Seems the new Belkan government caught wind of our operation and sent us back-up." said PJ as they took down the last few fighters in the air above the half-sunk Belkan carrier, the other half of their force meanwhile making steady progress in the city.

"Continue operation. Rebel Belkan forces are nearing total defeat." informed Eagle Eye as Cipher and company finished off the rebel navy, which actually had a significant amount of ships even for a supposed "rebel" force, and after the destruction of the last destroyer they joined up with their other compatriots.

"We're broadcasting live from the signing ceremony here in Lumen. Senior officials from each nation have come here in hopes of a peaceful solution." reported in a reporter on the radio broadcast Eagle Eye linked them up to.

"Seems the peace talks are finally taking place. Our job's almost done here too." said Cipher after making a flyby over Anfang and observing that only a few pockets of Belkan ground forces remained.

"We're going to put an end to this war." said PJ when he destroyed a tank driving along the city's edge.

"You're damn right we are, and those peace talks are going to be the final nail in the coffin." replied back Liz.

"Today's signatures will ratify an agreement which calls for the disarmament of Belka. Belka's military forces will be reduced and tension with neighboring countries will soon come to an end. The agreement will be covered in detail at a later broadcast."

The mercenaries making up the Mars Strike Team swept through the remaining ground forces stationed in the city and just like they had suspected, more enemy fighters appeared on radar after launching from the tunnel outlined in the briefing from earlier. All of a sudden rebel ground forces once again appeared around the city and began to encircle it, totally throwing the mercenaries into a loop.

"We haven't lost yet. It's still not over. In fact...we're just getting started." said a Belkan CO on the ground among the new enemies, his declaration sending chills down Cipher's spine.

"Whoa, where the hell did they get this much manpower and equipment? Belka's Army was pretty much decimated!" said one after narrowly avoiding a SAM missile launched from one of the new enemies on the ground.

"I dunno. But our time here is up. Make way for the Mercury Strike Team people!" ordered Cipher as he pulled away from Anfang after pushing aside the soldier's words for a few seconds..

PJ and Liz followed behind him and retreated out to the Anfang Sea with the rest of their strike team, a second group of mercenaries entering the airspace soon after to take over the operation as per the briefing.

"According to our sources, the agreement also touches on the possession of nuclear armaments. Nevertheless, the great war that enveloped the eastern countries and cost the lives of so many has finally come to an end. Today is a day of hope. A day in which tensions between different countries will be greatly reduced."

Unfortunately for the radio broadcaster, his words didn't do a lot to encourage Cipher and PJ. After witnessing just how much firepower the so called "rebel" forces had at their disposal, they were both starting to consider that the Belkan War was not coming to an end just yet.

"This...this was no remnant resistance. This war's not over yet." said PJ as they formed up and passed by the Mercury Strike Team.

"Yeah...I was thinking the same thing. What that soldier said about just getting started...it doesn't sit well with me." said Cipher apprehensively.

Whatever was coming up next...he had a bad feeling about it. He didn't even know how right he was.

-Thanks to your help, the operation was a success. The ceremony was also conducted without any trouble. We are still investigating why so many enemy forces were converging together, but we've succeeded in cutting off the remaining resistance forces from the rest of the Belkan Army.

\- Unknown Location -

\- Present Day -

A tall man, averaging at about six and a half feet tall, walked down a blank white hallway taking long strides with his hands held behind his back. He was dressed in a black dress suit and tie, and cast over his shoulders was a large coat adorned with golden epaulettes and fairly large collar. It's color was blank white and the cuff-links were also gold. On his shoulder was a rank insignia of sorts, and resting lopsided on his messy brown hair was a naval cap mostly seen being worn by high-ranking members of a nation's navy, such as an Admiral.

His eyes though were a dark maroonish color and were brimming evil intent that matched perfectly with the wicked smile he sported. On either side of him walked two other men with black suits, pants, shoes and red ties, a black tattoo on both of their right hands. Either man had an ear communicator and over their eyes they wore opaque black glasses that hid them from view.

They rounded a corner and approached a door guarded by two armed guards carrying assault rifles. Obviously whatever was behind the door, it was something that someone did not want anyone else seeing.

"Hey, who are you? What the hell are you doing down here?" asked one of the guards while taking a step forward, the man with the coat simply chuckling as he brought his right hand around.

The guard didn't have time to react when quickly the man with the coat shot three rounds from his silenced pistol into the man's neck and face, instantly killing him. Before the other guard could bring his gun up he trained his pistol on him and shot him twice in each knee-cap, forcing him to drop to his knees in pain, and than another four times in the chest.

"Who the fuck are you…?" asked the guard as blood gathered on his lip while the man in the coat reloaded his pistol and placed the silenced barrel straight up against his forehead.

His eyes widened and his grin grew only wider as he blew the guy's brains out, not even flinching when some of his blood splattered onto his cheek.

"Gentlemen?" he asked, the two suited men beside him quickly dragging the dead guards to the side and snatching their keycards required to move past the doors blocking their path.

With a swipe from each the doors slid open and the man with the coat walked inside, his entourage staying outside to watch for any more unwanted guests.

"Hello?" asked a feminine voice, the man's grin staying firm as he walked around an array of equipment and came face to face with a young girl around the age of four staring at him from behind a wall of plexiglass.

"What are you doing in here?" asked a scientist after returning to the room, the unknown man wasting no time in putting a bullet through his head.

The little girl's eyes widened and she screamed when the scientist's body hit the floor with a sickening smack, the man continuing to stare at her with a sadistic grin.

"Hello little one. Can I come in?" he asked, his voice a little unhinged.

The girl stepped back and vigorously shook her head back and forth as the man raised his gun and fired several shots into the glass, his grin wavering when they struck it but did not shatter it.

"_Bullet-proof eh? No matter._"

He threw the pistol away and clenched his fist, bringing it back and striking the glass directly on the cracks the bullets had made and in an instant shattered it. The girl screamed again as she ran to the back of the white-walled room the glass once protected while the man approached her with the same sadistic smile.

"Don't worry. This won't hurt at all." he said as he withdrew a syringe from his pocket, it's interior filled with a strange orange mixture of liquid, and grasped the girl's arm tightly while rolling up her shirt sleeve . "But if it does, please...go ahead and _scream_."


	20. The Talon of Ruin

A/N Now comes my second favorite part after the flight to Avalon and the final boss fight. Time for the first ever engagement that involves the classification of warship known as the heavy command cruiser. Let's get into it, and always leave a fav and review

Chapter 19 - The Talon of Ruin

_All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee the history of the two would become one._

'June 30th, 1995. A treaty declaring the cessation of hostilities was signed in Lumen, a city on the border of South Belka and Osea. It was a one-sided treaty that heavily favored Osea. The borders of the affected countries that fluxed greatly over the past years finally settled down at the cost of many human lives. The battlefield shifted to the tables, and the politicians from all countries squabbled with each other over the rights to the underground natural resources - the initial cause of this war. Six months passed without any developments. Six months of void. I focused on this time period for the hidden truth laid there. And I learned that my pursuit of him was not a mistake.

\- Present Day -

"And on to our top story. Last night there was a break-in at a scientific research facility owned and operated by Gründer Industries."

Cipher's interest with instantly caught when he heard the news from the kitchen and in a flash was sitting in his chair, watching intently to learn more.

"The break-in occurred at around 12:06 in the morning and it was done by an unknown amount of assailants. Currently the police have figured out this was done by a small but highly trained group of individuals."

"_I wonder who it could've been…_" thought Cipher as the news anchor proceeded on into the more gruesome details of the break-in.

"Police have so far identified eleven members of the facility that were killed last night, and they suspect the assailants utilized silenced pistols so as to not alert the rest of the staff of their intrusion. The weapons have not been found at the scene so far." he said, an image of eleven bodies covered up by a black tarp appearing over his right shoulder.

"When authorities and staff members of the facility investigated the lab the assailants entered, however, they discovered that only one specific piece of equipment had been stolen, one that Gründer had been developing for the post few months."

Cipher got an uneasy feeling once the anchor talked about the piece of equipment stolen. He was reminded of when the A World With no Boundaries stole the XB-0 Hresvelgr and ADFX-02 Morgan , and if someone out there had to kill _eleven_ people to get whatever piece of equipment Gründer was making...it wasn't for something good.

"That's all the information we have on this story, so once we receive more details concerning this event, we will go further in depth as to why this happened. This has been Channel 4 Morning News. We'll see you later at Noon."

Cipher turned off the T.V and leaned back in his chair, delving deep into the recesses of his mind.

"_Anton's already dead, I made sure of that...and the A.W.W.N.B were all wiped out over Oured. But than there was what Dvornik said...and now a break in at a Gründer Industries research facility not even a week after the end of the Anean Continental War._" he thought with a furrowed brow.

He pushed the thoughts aside for later when he heard footsteps and turned, smiling when his son walked groggily down the stairs and yawned loudly.

"Where's the pancakes?" he asked after smelling the aroma wafting out of the kitchen.

"In the kitchen Jasp. Help yourself, and after you're done I'll continue the story." replied Cipher, Jasper immediately perking up and sprinting into the kitchen to eat as quickly as possible.

"_He really is just like me…_"

A couple of minutes later Jasper was sitting in front of Cipher with his eyes beaming up at him in anticipation for the next installment of his tale from the Belkan War.

"Alright...this next part is where things get serious. I'll never forget it...Operation: Valkyrie."

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- December 25th, 1995 1434 hrs -

It had been six whole months since the mercenary forces of Ustio attacked remnant Belkan forces that had laid siege to the northern Belkan town of Anfang, the place where Liz had been born. A lot of things had happened in that time period. PJ and Crow Team were in for a surprise when they discovered the bet that Cipher and Liz had made had resulted in a victory for the mercenary, and that as soon as they returned to the air base and met on the tarmac, he proposed to her, and she almost immediately agreed.

A few days later the staff and personnel of Valais Air Base gathered in front of the chapel in Directus, Ustio to watch as the feared Demon Lord of the Round Table tied the knot and married Liz. It was the first time they had truly felt happy since the beginning of the Belkan War and all its hellish attributes.

This was...unfortunately, the only good thing that arose out of those six months of void.

The war had officially come to an end according to the terms laid out in the treaty signed by each side in the Belkan city of Lumen on June 20th, but a lot of people among the mercenaries, especially Cipher and PJ, didn't quite agree with that statement.

There had been too many enemies at Anfang to be considered "remnant". Something was going on in the background that neither the new Belkan government nor the Allied Forces knew about. And there was still the one question that haunted them all, still hanging in the air among the mercenaries.

Where had Larry gone?

"Hey Cipher, catch!"

He turned and held up his glove, catching the baseball in its net and relishing the pop it made when leather hti leather. He grabbed the ball and gripped the seams tightly before throwing it back at Crow 2, both mercenaries fans of one of the greatest sports of all time.

"So what's it like being married?" asked Crow 1 as he watched the two throw with PJ and Eagle Eye, the three all sharing beers with one another out on the tarmac.

"It's the happiest thing that I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. You'll feel it too PJ when you propose to your girlfriend." he replied back after catching the ball and flipping it to his other hand.

"Where is Liz anyways?" asked Eagle Eye after taking a couple of looks around while sipping on his beer.

"Dunno James, probably somewhere in the base maybe?" said Cipher with a glance over at him.

He had finally learned Eagle Eye's name at his wedding six months earlier and ever since he called him by his name outside of sorties and the likes. The two had grown closer and had become the best of friends as well, a hole that needed filling after Larry's abrupt departure.

"Boo!"

James nearly jumped out of his chair and even yelped a little when Liz appeared from out of nowhere and scared the living shit out him. He managed to keep a firm grip on his beer though and when he hit the ground he merely sat there and acted like nothing wrong had happened.

"Hey there Liz...what's going on?" he asked with a cough before taking an awkward sip of his beer, PJ and Crow 1 barely managing to keep their laughter at bay while Liz hopped over his chair and sat down herself.

"Nothing much. Oh, yeah! I almost forgot, but the Base Commander asked me to tell you that we've got a new mission." she said.

"Really?" asked Cipher as he dropped his glove and jogged over, Liz dusting herself off after standing up and helping James up from his position on the ground. "What happened?"

"I don't know all the details, but it does involve going to Lumen." she explained as they all walked towards the main complex.

"Lumen? Isn't that the city where the peace treaty was signed?" asked Crow 2.

"Yeah. Apparently it was attacked."

In just a few minutes Cipher, PJ and other mercenaries stationed at Valais were sitting rigidly in the briefing room, the Base Commander eyeing them all with a grim expression painted on his face. Whatever had happened to Lumen...it couldn't be good.

"The top officers in the Belkan Army had pulled a coup d'état. Calling their organization "A World With no Boundaries", the forces bombed the city of Lumen, where the cessation of hostilities treaty was signed, using a giant gunship codenamed "XB-0". he started off as the briefing system began to lay out the route of the unknown XB-0 enemy aircraft, Cipher beginning to wonder what this so called "A World With no Boundaries" organization could be when all of a sudden the entire building shook.

"What the hell was that?" asked PJ when the lights flickered, the Base Commander quickly pulling out a walkie-talkie and pressing it up to his ear.

"Wait...I've just received an emergency transmission from the control tower! Unidentified aircraft are approaching our base!" he quickly relayed, the pilots immediately bolting out of their chairs and making their way for the exit as quickly as possible.

"Scramble all planes! Get into the air immediately!"

"_I have to find Liz!_" thought Cipher frantically as he rammed his shoulder into the exit door and immediately entered a warzone, the sound of AA guns firing into the sky hitting his ears almost instantly. He dove away when a missile struck a building close by the main complex, the shockwave and explosion making him go deaf for a few seconds and fill his ears with a ringing sound.

He got up and looked to the sky, his heart skipping a beat when he spotted what exactly had just fell upon them. Flying through the air towards the base with a swarm of fighters surrounding it was a massive, and that included _every_ meaning of the word, aircraft that blot out the sun for a moment as it slowly made its way over the base.

Their AA guns couldn't even scratch its belly armor, and in mere seconds the jets protecting the behemoth swooped down and laid waste to the base, destroying everything in sight so as to make sure no one would be able to come after them. Still though Cipher ran through the chaos, dodging explosions and chunks of tarmac as he sprinted towards his hangar. He heard footsteps behind him through all the noise and he turned for a second, catching a glimpse of PJ staying close so as to get up in the air with him.

"Elizabeth!" bellowed Cipher as he ran into the hangar, the breath he had been holding immediately escaping his lungs when she found her hiding with some of the maintenance crew near the back of the hangar.

"Cipher!" she yelled back as he sprinted to them with PJ, the two embracing while PJ made sure everyone else was uninjured.

"What the hell is going on out there?!" asked LIz in terror, Cipher holding her hands with his and looking her in the eyes.

"I have no idea, we're under attack by this gigantic flying _fortress_ of some kind and everything is going to shit outside. Are our planes ready to fly?"

"They're good to go!" said one of the maintenance workers responsible for repairing their aircraft, Cipher nodding once before he hugged Liz again and sprinted towards his plane at the front of the hangar while PJ climbed up into his.

"Let's do this Cipher!" he said once they established a connection over the radio, Cipher clenching his jaw as he powered up the Morgan's engines and rolled it out of the hangar while unknown enemy aircraft continued to pound away at the airbase even after what could've only been the XB-O had made tracks and gotten a good distance away.

"They're launching fighters. Kill them before they take off." ordered an enemy pilot from the cockpit of his SU-32, Cipher growling when the unknowns began to target him and PJ.

Almost immediately a hail of gunfire emerged from around them and managed to divert the jets away from them for a second, Cipher ad PJ whipping their heads around and thanking Jesus when they saw a formation of Flakpanzer Gepard AA guns roll up on either side of them and offer protection as they taxied onto the damaged yet still serviceable runway.

"This is Galm 2 to the control tower! We're taking off!"

"Roger! Emergency Launch granted! Hurry!" replied back the control tower operator as they lined up on the runway while their guard of AA guns continued to fire a steady stream of rounds into the sky to keep any unknown fighters from attacking their allies.

Cipher shot down the runway and took off almost instantly, going after the first jet he spotted while PJ lifted off and had to avoid a missile from one of the unknown enemies.

"These guys don't fly like Belkans!" shouted PJ after avoiding the missile, going immediately on the offensive to counter the aggressive SU-32 pilot while Cipher managed to take down a pair of B-2A Spirits that had been preparing to go for another bombing run on Valais.

"Then just who the hell are these guys?!" said Cipher when he joined PJ and assisted in shooting down the enemy SU-32 and his wingman, finally relieving the base from any more enemy air attacks.

"Good job Galm Team! Hold position over the air base until we get an AWACS up to go with you after the enemy!" ordered the Base Commander from the control tower, Cipher letting out a deep breath as he relaxed and sat back in his flight seat to enjoy the temporary peace and quiet.

In no time at all James had taken off and they were on their way after the XB-0, chasing it down until they finally managed to get within its operational airspace. The one thing they hadn't expected though was that below them, flying past underneath as they went after their target, were the snow-capped mountains of Waldreich, the very same place where the seven nuclear detonations had been set off six months earlier.

\- Waldreich Mountains -

\- 025'11'04"N 233'53'02"E -

\- December 25th, 1995 1510 hrs -

"Ground Zero...no signs of life…" said Pj as they passed over one of the massive craters carved out of the mountains, Cipher getting chills up his spine when the images of the explosions returned to his thoughts.

"Our base has suffered extensive damage. Galm Team, we're counting on you." said James as they passed the crater and barreled straight for the retreating XB-0 in the distance.

"Those bastards aren't getting away with this." snarled Cipher, his rage boiling over.

The base had been brutally attacked and had resulted in the deaths of innocent men and women dying, and to top it all off his *wife, the one thing he cared most about in the world, had been in the thick of it. So of course he was beyond pissed off right now.

"Target XB-0 sighted!"

Around ten aircraft still flew around the massive gunship, and when they come up from behind a couple of miles away it's size truly came into scale for the two. It was absolutely gigantic and its bulk was propelled forward by six high output engines, three of which were placed horizontally in each of the titan's wings.

After observing the large craft from afar, Cipher spotted a pair of jets coming down from above, a J35J Draken and a Rafale M, and watched as they flew out in front of the XB-0 and the other fighters. Just from this action he determined that they were the leaders of the pack.

**\- ESPADA -**

**Sapin Air Force**

**9th Air and Land Division, 11th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"Espada 1 to Espada 2. It's time to stop the Demon Lord." spoke the flight lead in a Sapinish accent from his Draken.

"This is Espada 2, roger. Lead the way." replied the Rafale M pilot, a female, as they circled back around and went straight for Cipher and PJ.

Cipher growled as they approached them front the direct front, PJ's grip stiffening around his Eagle's flight stick with each passing moment. He couldn't fail now, not when the base had just suffered a devastating attack, not ever.

"Galm 1, Galm 2. Commence attack on XB-0. Make sure it doesn't make it out of the airspace."

"Roger."

Cipher and PJ engaged the Espada flight when they got close, the two mercenaries losing all sense of morality as they attacked with no mercy and completely intended to kill their opponents.

"Espada Team, shoot down those Ustio flies. That "Demon Lord" has gotten to be quite an eyesore." ordered a crew member of the XB-0, most likely the captain.

Cipher avoided a missile from Espada 1 and went on the offensive, driving the enemy pilot into a corner and relentlessly pursuing him to the point he was on top of him most of the time.

"Wait...we're engaging friendly aircraft! These are Sapin aircraft!" gasped James after running a background check on the Espada pilots, discovering shortly after that they were from the Sapin Air Force.

"What?! Sapin?"

"Ustio 6th Air Division to Sapin aircraft. Cease attack immediately!" James called out, but his words fell on deaf ears and the Espada fighters continued to attack.

"It's no use James. Sapinish or not, these guys are the enemy." said Cipher when he and PJ pushed back the enemy fighters, the Sapin pilots pulling back afterwards to rework their strategy against the mercenaries.

"Demon Lord, huh...Hmph...Does he really think he can win when his only motivation is money?" questioned Espada 1 as either group of pilots glanced at the other.

Cipher's eye twitched when he registered what the man had said. Before, a comment like that wouldn't faze him. He really didn't care either way what people thought of him, but today he had already been pushed beyond his limit. Anything could set him off, and what Espada 1 did right then was open up a nasty can of worms.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he snarled, the Espada pilots getting surprised when they heard his voice for the first time. "You nearly killed the person I hold closest to my heart, and for that there's no way in hell I'm gonna let you get away with it."

At that moment James finally got word back the Base Commander back at Valais and he immediately relayed the information to Cipher and PJ.

"Alright, engage the Sapin fighters."

"That's all I needed to hear."

Cipher sped right at Espada 1 and overwhelmed him, his ADFX-01 Morgan chasing down the Sapin pilot's Draken easily and with a pair of missiles he shot him down.

"Espada 1, come in! Espada 1!" cried out Espada 2 in shock as her flight lead's jet went up in flames.

In her shock-induced stupor she neglected her surroundings and left her backside wide open, Cipher taking advantage of this and easily maneuvering around her to shoot her down. Now all that remained were the few fighters circling the XB-0 and the giant behemoth itself.

"Both of the Espada Team escorts have been shot down! Those were our aces!"

"Let's go Cipher! It's time we made 'em pay!" said PJ, the two mercenaries catching up with the XB-0 and dealing with it's escort fighters quietly.

"Show those flies not to mess with Hresvelgr! Activate all weapons!" ordered the XB-0's captain.

Various AA guns and AAM weapons opened up on the two pilots, a swarm of bullets and missiles coming up at them. They weaved through the maelstrom and scored several hits on the behemoth, destroying some of its defense mechanisms. Cipher ducked under one of the massive wings of the XB-0 and cursed when an AA gun placed underneath it opened fire on him, nearly missing his right wing.

"Damn bastards!" he yelled as he doubled back and destroyed the weapon alongside another AAM, smoke now starting to billow from the XB-0's massive hull.

"Switch hydraulic system to line B!"

"Blocks 4-5 have been damaged and are filling up with fire!"

"Seal them off!"

PJ destroyed another AA gun positioned near one of the XB-0's massive engines and flew away before the massive aircraft's other defense systems could get a lock on. That worry was quickly discarded however when Cipher finally destroyed them, allowing the two mercenaries to lay waste to the six engines keeping it in the air.  
As each engine was destroyed the person piloting the massive aircraft sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. He let go of the controls and stood up, grabbing his flight helmet sitting close by and walking right past the captain of the XB-0 without a word.

"Where the hell are you going?!" he shouted, the pilot paying no attention to him.

"It's no use now, considering _he's_ the one attacking us." he replied before leaving the bridge and making his way towards the XB-0's internal hangar.

Meanwhile outside the final engine was destroyed and the XB-0 began to lose altitude very slowly, Cipher and PJ circling around and observing their handiwork.  
"The XB-0 has been stripped of all defenses. Take her out Galm Team." ordered Eagle Eye, Cipher taking the honors as he dove down towards the XB-0's cockpit and flew straight at it.

He let loose a pair of missiles and quickly banked right to avoid hitting the massive behemoth. The missiles struck home and the cockpit went up in flames, the entire XB-0 shaking as several explosions emerged from its hull and sealed its fate. As it lost altitude and careened towards the snow-capped mountains below, a single aircraft rolled out onto the XB-0's internal hangar runway and was prepped for launch.

"The XB-0's taken a deathblow! It was Cipher! Cipher did it!" exclaimed PJ as the XB-0 got closer and closer to the ground.

"Nice work Galm Team! Operation complete."

"Our death is not the end of everything. The rest is up to you." said the XB-0's captain to the man in the plane before finally giving in to the injuries he sustained from the cockpit's destruction, his hand slipping off the intercom.

"Tch…" said the unknown pilot with a smirk before he blasted out of the XB-0 and quickly left the area before he was noticed by PJ and Cipher.

He made sure to leave a little surprise behind though.

"Huh?" said PJ when he received a transmission from an unknown source.

"What is it PJ?" asked Cipher as he flew up beside him.

"There's a coded message on the radio. Decrypting message." he said before he let his plane do the rest of the work, the transmission's message being repeated through his helmet.

When he heard it play through, his heart skipped a beat.

"What does it read?"

PJ gulped and he read out the message word for word. "Yo Buddy. You still alive?"

The smile Cipher had after shooting down the XB-0 vanished right as the massive form of the XB-0 vanished behind a couple of mountains and exploded in a huge plume of fire and smoke, the shock wave from the devastating impact reaching the two pilots in a couple of seconds.

"Cipher…?" asked PJ out of worry for his flight lead after he went silent.

"Let's get back to base." he said finally in a tone that gave no hint of emotion to PJ.

However inside the cockpit of his Morgan Cipher was gripping the flight stick so tightly his hands were starting to hurt and he was having hard seeing straight as a result of how furious he was. And it would only grow worse the more he thought about the five words transmitted to PJ.

"_Yo Buddy. You still alive?_"

\- Thanks to you, the XB-0 has been shot down. However, our base was heavily damaged in the surprise attack. The squadron that you engaged consisted of Sapin and Osean fighters. We're currently investigating the situation. Once we determine the location of the renegade organization, we will launch a counterinsurgency operation.

\- Valais Air Force Base -

\- December 25th, 1995 1547 hrs -

"Galm Team you are cleared to land. Be careful." said the control tower operator as Cipher and PJ flew in from their operation.

James dropped down from above behind them and after they landed he proceeded to drop his landing gear and land his E-767. As they taxied their planes towards the latter end of the runway they looked around and took in how damaged their base was. The XB-0 and its squadron had totally laid waste to Valais, destroying half of their exterior hangar and facilities while the runway had been left in near total disrepair. Luckily Hilbrachen had called upon the Ustio government and in a couple of days they'll have people working to repair the base.

Liz, Crow 1 and 2 and the rest of the mercenaries that had survived the attack ran out from the main building as CIpher and PJ shut off their jet's engines and powered them down. Pj jumped out of his plane first and landed softly, Cipher climbing out slowly with controlled movements.

"Cipher?" asked LIz when they walked up and watched him take off his flight helmet and grip it tightly while facing away from them.

"That fucking bastard!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs as he banged his helmet against the nose of his Morgan, the loud crash echoing across the base.

"What's wrong?" asked Crow 2 as PJ walked over to them and stood next to him.

"I'll tell you what's wrong." snarled Cipher as he turned around briskly and pointed towards the sky in the direction of Belka. "The person that was flying that massive aircraft? It was fucking Larry!"

The mercenaries were left speechless by the sudden revelation, Crow 1 taking a step forward and blinking a few times.

"Are you serious? It was _Larry_ piloting that behemoth?" he asked, James catching the latter half of the sentence when he walked over and becoming just as surprised as the others.

"Is that true?" asked Liz in disbelief, CIpher's anger only rising at the truth behind it.

"Oh its true, because as soon as that giant thing crashed into the Waldreich Mountains PJ got an encrypted message that read, and I quote, "Yo Buddy. You still alive?". That is the _exact_ same catchphrase Larry would say to me!"

They all looked at PJ and he held a grim face as he nodded once, confirming what Cipher said as the truth. Crow 1 cursed as he ran a hand through his hair and paced a few times, James crossing his arms and closing his eyes in an attempt to keep his own anger at bay.

"So what you're saying is that during the past six months _Larry_ has been with those "A World With no Boundaries" bastards and that he was the one that bombed Lumen _and_ attacked our base?" he asked, Cipher reaffirming his claim with another nod.

"I can't fucking believe it…" said Crow 2 as he walked off with Crow 1 and the other mercenaries, obviously still in slight disbelief at the thought that Larry did all of this to Valais.

"See you later Cipher. I gotta go meet my girlfriend." said PJ with a wave before he jogged off, James instead sticking around with Cipher and Liz beside their aircraft.

"What are you thinking of doing Alek? With Larry that is." he asked, being the only other person besides Liz that knew his real name.

Cipher remained silent as he massaged his temples, Liz getting up beside him and hugging him tightly, producing a small smile from his face. He took a deep breath and relaxed himself, focusing on the one clear thought in his mind.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do with my "Buddy"." he said, his face saying it all. "I'm gonna kill him."

A/N Dun dun dun. I've received another mysterious coded message. Here it it.

Begin Transmission -

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	21. The Demon Lord of the Round Table

A/N Here we go, the final few chapters of Ace Combat Zero. The time has come for the epic battle of Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, a.k.a the Round Table. The last few members of the legendary "Knights of the Round Table", famous aces that flew those very skies, will meet in a final epic battle that will determine who is superior.

Chapter 20 - The Demon Lord of the Round Table

_All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee the history of the two would become one._

Six days passed and on December 31st, the last day of the year, the mercenary forces of Ustio were once again called on alongside a portion of the Osean Army for one final mission that concerned not only Ustio and Osea...but the entire Osean Continent.

Cipher and PJ sat down in the silent briefing room and looked up with their brothers in arms at the Base Commander, who was standing solemnly at the front of the room with the briefing system active behind him. They all knew that this might be the very last briefing they'll ever have.

"We have confirmed that the aircraft that attacked our base belonged to the major rebel organization "A World With no Boundaries". This highly organized renegade army is comprised of soldiers from numerous countries, including Osea, Sapin, Ustio, Yuktobania and, of course, Belka. They are believed to possess a massive arsenal of weapons." he started off as the briefing system's global map zoomed in on Belka and focused in on an area including Hoffnung, Sudentor, and part of Nord Belka.

It highlighted a single unit and plotted out a route that passed through the area that contained none other than Area B7R and it led all the way up to a location in Nord Belka known as Mund Valley, a place Cipher was very familiar with.

"The coup forces are gathered at Mund Valley, in northern Belka, where they have confiscated the Avalon Dam facility from the Belkan army. What's worse is we've discovered that this facility houses an experimental weapon known only as "V2". Unfortunately, it took us a long amount of time to uncover this information, due to the facility's location beneath the dam's water."

"_Dammit...I never thought Avalon was also a missile launch facility._" thought Cipher as he tightened his fists.

"Proceed to Avalon and destroy the V2 weapon. Note that Area B7R blocks your route from Valais Air Force Base to Mund. You will most likely encounter fierce resistance from the coup forces at both B7R and Mund. Remember to be prepared for attacks from land, air or elsewhere when choosing which aircraft to pilot. This mission will succeed upon the destruction of the V2 at the target area, and your safe return to base."

The Base Commander turned to them all and they all stood up, standing at attention. "Now go destroy that weapon and come back in one piece. Anything else is unacceptable. Good luck gentlemen."

Cipher and PJ led the herd out of the briefing room and as one unit they walked out of the main building, their flight helmets under their arms and their minds set on victory.

"Here's the plan everyone." said Cipher when they reached their jets, the mercenaries listening intently as a blanket of clouds set in over the base. "You all will meet up with Allied Forces, and PJ and I will proceed through Area B7R and take out any opposition we meet."

"But you have no idea how many enemies you'll face!" said Crow 2, PJ stepping forward and smirking.

"Relax. You're talking to the Demon Lord of the Round Table and the Galm Team's number two. We'll make it through and see you guys en route to Avalon." he said, Cipher grinning as he pat PJ on the shoulder and looked at everyone else with a hard gaze.

"Any questions? No? Good. Roll out people!" he ordered before he and PJ turned around to go to their jets, the other mercenaries sprinting to theirs.

Liz met Cipher by the front landing wheel of his Morgan and she smiled, Cipher returning the gesture when he reached her.

"You're coming back, right?" she asked, Cipher saying nothing as he embraced and kissed her passionately.

"Of course I will. I will always come back for you." he whispered into her ear before he climbed up and plopped down into the flight seat of his jet and closed the glass canopy.

He waved to Liz as she stepped back and crossed her arms, the ADFX-01's engines powering on with a deafening roar and a rush of air. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned when he spotted PJ with his girlfriend beside his Eagle, the two sharing a hug before he entered his own jet and powered it up. A few seconds later he taxied out onto the runway and got himself ready for the takeoff while waiting for approval from the control tower.

"Your final sortie...Alright, launch preparations complete. Be sure to give Larry a good ass-kicking for me."

"Roger that." replied back Cipher before he zoomed down the runway and took off into the sky, PJ and the other mercenaries following behind him. "I'm coming for you _Buddy_."

\- Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, Belka-Ustio-Osea border -

\- 022'53'37"N 234'19'32"E -

\- December 31st, 1995 1100 hrs -

Cipher and PJ entered the very edge of Area B7R under dark cloudy skies, the two making their way for the northern edge as fast as they could. It was giving off an ominous feeling to both of them, and they wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible.

"Pass through B7R. It's an awful place, but the fastest shortcut. Maintain current course." said James.

"This place right now gives me the creeps...its just so empty…" said PJ with a shiver, Cipher chuckling lightly as the feeling of dread set in on him as well.

Just like he had suspected though, they had some opposition to take care of.

"Enemy aircraft detected close to B7R. There's no time to change course. Eliminate enemy forces in the Round Table and break through it."

"They have different ID signals than Belka." said PJ as fourteen signatures appeared on their radars and sped straight for them in a double diamond wedge formation.

**\- SORCERER**

**Osea Air Force**

**8th Air Division 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron**

**\- WIZARD**

**Osea Air Force**

**8th Air Division 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron**

The leader of the wolfpack flew a blue and white F-15S/MTD alongside his eight man squadron that formed the Osean 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Sorcerer", the same squadron that shared its designation with its ally, the Wizard Squadron...led by Wizard 1.

"Target confirmed. Sorcerer 1 to all planes. Apply full thrust. Don't even think about heading back."

"This is Wizard 1. The Demon Lord has entered the net."

"This is Wizard 5, roger."

"Let's begin." said Wizard 1 before a group of four F-16XLs broke off from the eight man Sorcerer Squadron and banked hard right, Cipher watching them closely as they did.

"Be careful PJ. These guys are Osean aces, different from Belka's." he said cautiously as they readied themselves for the fight ahead, the enemies finally coming in within range for their HUDs to show their icons.

"The Demon Lord has built himself up quite a name. Let's see if he can live up to it." said Wizard 1 with a smirk while Sorcerer 1 couldn't help but smile at the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"I've been waiting for this Demon Lord. Show me what you got!"

"Stop! We're allies of Ustio! Can't you read your IFF?!" yelled out PJ in an attempt to dissuade the enemy Osean squadrons.

"Leave them be PJ." said Cipher for all to hear, the Osean squadrons leaders listening in as their enemy spoke to them. "If they want to fight me, fine. Let them come. I'll kill anyone who stands in the way of me killing Larry."

With that, when the enemy fell upon the two mercenaries, Cipher unleashed his full wrath on the unsuspecting Osean pilots and outmaneuvered them beyond their expectations. He got behind one of the Wizard F-16XLs and shot it down with ease, prompting Wizard 1 to reveal himself and the other three members of his squadron in their YF-23A Black Widow IIs.

"Why must you continue to fight?" questioned PJ as he avoided a missile from Sorcerer 1 and banked right to shoot down one of his wingmen, angering the Osean pilot.

"Clashing greed is the cause of all conflict. Our goal is to put a stop to it." said Wizard 1 as he and one of his wingman attacked Cipher full force.

"As a result of that greed, the battle to realign the borders had moved to the meeting boardroom." followed up Sorcerer 1, his missile alert sirens warning him of PJ's attack and allowing him to quickly maneuver away from the threat.

"Those lines will build a new future." argued PJ.

"Those lines will give birth to new conflict" responded Sorcerer 1.

"What do you mean?" demanded PJ when four Sorcerer aircraft all got on his tail to finish him off, but Cipher swooped in a killed two of them easily with a missile each.

"_He's not destroying anything unnecessarily. The Demon Lord's just as good as they say._" thought Wizard 1 with a slight grin.

"I'm a resident of the World With no Boundaries, and I will eliminate the false hero." said Sorcerer 1 with the utmost seriousness in his voice, Cipher's jaw muscles clenching in anger.

"That is the worst kind of bullshit I have ever heard in my entire life!" he shouted as he shot down the last two Wizard F-16XLs, dropping their enemy's number once again. "I'm the false hero? If anything you lot are! A world with no boundaries is a fake, and your ideology is a sham! Wars like these are terrible, yes, but it helps the world grow by having it learn from its mistakes and push for a better future!"

Wizard 1 growled at his outburst and increased his efforts to shoot down Cipher, going so far as to disregard his own safety to try and kill him.

"Don't let him leave here alive. Fire at the cockpit!"

"As if I'd let you kill me! There's someone else who I have to kill fist." said Cipher darkly as he avoided every attempt to kill him and continued to shoot down the Osean pilots alongside PJ, who had managed to take down two of the Sorcerer planes.

"A World With no Boundaries aligns itself with no country. We are humanity's ideal army. It's time for a perfect world without restrictions or wars."

"We will carry out the new creation of destruction through the power of righteousness. Territories, peoples, authorities...all will be liberated. This is the new state "A World With no Boundaries" will create. Neither nations nor nationalities have meaning. We will erase these unnecessary borders. The World With No Boundaries will pen a new story. The world will change."

"Yeah, but not like this." remarked Cipher before he shot down Wizard 1 with extreme prejudice, grinning evilly as his aircraft went down in flames alongside his wingmen after PJ got done with them.

"Dammit Bristow...he's going to destroy everything. The Demon Lord's just as good as they say." growled Sorcerer 1 in begrudging respect for his adversary. "All planes, if you're going down, drag him down with you!"

"Out of my way!" snarled Cipher as he laid waste to the traitorous Osean pilots with PJ, their combined might enough to push them back farther and farther.

"_This strange feeling...is this his doing?_" thought Sorcerer 1 when he looked down at his hands and noticed they were shaking not from adrenaline, but from an entirely new feeling he had never felt before.

At that moment the rest of his wingmen had been shot down by PJ, leaving him open to attack from the Demon Lord himself. He smirked when he heard the missile alert sirens go off and before he got hit he sent a message out to the one he knew would see it.

His head lurched forward when his F-15S/MTD got struck by a missile from Cipher and he was thrown around inside the cockpit when his entire plane split apart into various pieces.

"The King who sleeps in Avalon will become the new hero." he said before he managed to bail out of his aircraft, signalling the end of the fight.

"All enemy planes are down. There's been no change in plans. Stay on course to target destination." informed James after the two mercenaries formed up, PJ letting out a sigh of relief.

"Let's do this Cipher. We've got a mission to complete." he said, determined, as they flew off towards their destination.

All of a sudden a second group of enemies popped up on radar from the same heading Sorcerer and Wizard came from. And just like those two squadrons there were eight fighters in this formation, but this was the only similarity. The ID signature these jets gave off were not of Osea, but of Belka.

"What the...? More enemies?" questioned PJ when the enemy planes got closer and closer.

They were flying in a double-stacked wedge formation with four aircraft in each, their jets none other then the deadly SU-47 Berkut, a forward swept wing fighter aircraft reputed for its insane maneuverability and lethality. They were painted with a dark brown camo coating with yellow and white markings, the Belkan Air Force's roundel present on their wings and vertical stabilizers.

**\- GAULT**

**Belkan Air Force**

**18th Air Division 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron**

"Gault 1 to all units. Begin the operation." said the lead pilot, the Belkan fighters spreading apart to engage Cipher and PJ at maximum speed. "Let the victor...be justice."

Cipher's eyes widened when he recognized the man's voice and a scowl quickly developed, his hatred growing exponentially. He knew who this man was because he had met him in his past, back when he was a child.

"Demon Lord of the Round Table, I was hoping to meet you under different circumstances." said Gault 1 as the eight fighters all launched QAAM missiles at the pair, the sky getting filled with their smoke trails as the battle began once again for air superiority.

"You don't have time to play around with them. Hurry and shoot 'em all down."

"There's no meaning in the Round Table anymore. What are you fighting for?" asked PJ to the Gault members, receiving nothing but silence.

"The enemy fighters seem to be highly skilled. Don't allow them to take control of the battle." said James as Cipher dodged a swarm of missiles, four Gault fighters hot on his tail and not letting him have any breathing room.

"What are you doing?! Stop! The war ended long ago!" shouted PJ at the Gault fighters again, their leader speaking up again for the squadron.

"The table is surrounded by politicians who have never placed a foot on the battlefield." he said blankly, Cipher's scowl deepening at the very sound of Gault 1's voice.

"It's a necessary discussion to build a peaceful world." argued PJ, Gault 1's cold voice returning even colder.

"It's a disgusting squabble on who gets the largest share of the pie, and that's why it needs to end."

"What do you mean?" asked PJ.

"It is for that duty that we raised the King." said Gault 1 before he dodged three XLAAs from PJ and performed a half kulbit maneuver, barely missing PJ's plane with a missile by inches.

"That's why we're fighting." he finished before banking right to avoid a missile from Cipher, who was still being chased by half of the ace Belkan squadron.

Cipher dove down into the mountainous land of B7R below to try and shake the four fighters on his tail, their missiles either losing track or slamming into the mountains harmlessly in their pursuit of him. Left, right, up or down, it didn't matter. Every direction he took to try and shake the Belkan aces failed, which was irritating him even more. Out of all the squadrons he had faced thus far, the Gault Squadron takes the cake as being the most aggressive and skilled of the bunch.

"_Dammit...these guys are really pissing me off._" thought Cipher just as two of the Gault fighters broke off to go left and the other two went right, forming a pincer movement on him.

"Do not look at the enemy. All you need to hear are the orders I give you." ordered Gault 1, the pilots all sounding off their compliances within a second of hearing the command.

"Gault 2, roger."

"Gault 3, roger."

"Gault 4, roger."

"Gault 5, roger."

"Gault 6, roger."

"Gault 7, roger."

"Gault 8, roger."

Cipher twisted upwards as the two Gault groups converged on him, forming back into a four man formation to chase him down. PJ fired two missiles at one of the Gaults over on his side, but the superior mobility of the Berkuts they were flying were enough to dodge the missiles easily.

"Don't be overwhelmed by the enemy's moves." ordered Gault 1 as he moved into a position to attack Cipher, his lock on mark snapping to his plane.

"Warning! You're being tracked on radar!" yelled PJ, Cipher reacting on instinct and dodging right to avoid the volley of QAAMs shot at him.

The fight between the two mercenaries, Sorcerer and Wizard had definitely been a rush, but against Gault it was truly a battle that could only be decided by fate itself. Each side was evenly matched, but the enemy's superior numbers were starting to take its toll on Cipher and PJ, their moves starting to get sloppier with each passing second whereas the Gault pilots remained in perfect unison.

"Whoever breaks formation will be the first shot down. Follow me if you want to survive." said Gault 1 as the fight continued, PJ and Cipher barely staying alive in the deadly match between the lethal SU-47s.

"Gault 3, steer to the right in three seconds. Maintain corner velocity." he ordered again, in exactly three seconds Gault 3 turning sharply to the left, avoiding the missile Cipher fired at him.

That's when he smirked as he performed his signature maneuver, the Devil's Trap, on his bothersome pursuers. He had two Gault fighters tailing him and with the pulling back of the flight stick and quick cut of the engines he turned his plane a full 180 degree and fired a missile at each Berkut, one managing to duck out of the way while the other had its cockpit consumed in fire.

"All planes, fly as usual. Fly by my orders." said Gault 1, not even phased by the loss of one of his squadron's pilots.

Two of the Belkan pilots avoided another volley of XLAAs from Cipher and PJ growled a bit in frustration.

"Dammit, they make it look easy." cursed PJ when his sirens went off again and he had to dodge another missile from a Belkan pilot, their tactics still flawless even though they had lost one of their members.

Cipher chased after one of the Gault fighters and he was about to gain a lock on before the fighter flipped his plane over him to got on his six, Cipher quickly going on the defensive as the Gault fighter started running him down.

"Fox 2!" said PJ as he launched his last two XLAAs and smirked as they hit their mark, the Gault fighter chasing Cipher going up in flames and relieving him somewhat.

"One of our planes is down. I'll cover." said one of the Belkan pilots, now only six remaining, as he took the spot of the fallen pilot and resumed the brutal engagement.

"So this is the Demon Lord. There's something about him…" trailed off Gault 1 as the fight progressed, the man becoming more intrigued with Cipher and as a result contradicted his past order of not looking at the enemy.

The only thing he saw was Cipher from that point on.

"Captain, we can win this." encouraged PJ as he continued to fight, Cipher grinning as he heard those words and fought harder then before.

With a burst of adrenaline and some quick thinking he managed to draw in another Gault fighter on his tail and just like before he shot him down by enacting his Devil's Trap maneuver once again. As the pilot went down with his plane without a single word, Gault 1 watched it careen towards the earth.

"Gault 2, carry on." said Gault 1 without any remorse in his voice as his wingman's plane exploded, the fire and molten metal becoming his tomb.

The fight started to progressively switch over to Galm's favor, PJ shooting down another Gault fighter to bring the total count down to four fighters and leveling the playing field a little more.

"Another plane is down. Revise flight pattern." said one of the Gault pilots, the four remaining gathering together into a squadron that attacked Cipher and PJ en masse with a barrage of missiles.

"He's flying in unpredictable patterns." said Gault 1 in a somewhat surprised tone, the pilot becoming silent for a few seconds when another Gault fighter was shot down, the remaining pilots, Gault 4 and Gault 7, thinking he had been shot down.

"Gault 1, awaiting your orders. Please respond." said Gault 7, the two pilots waiting to hear the sound of their leader.

"Enemy forces have suffered considerable damage. Galm Team, you're almost there." informed James, Cipher and PJ quickly going to attack the remaining Gault fighters, who had confirmed Gault 1 was indeed still alive.

"Demon Lord, what is it you hope to achieve on the battlefield?" asked Gault 1, Cipher not responding as he proceeded to avoid an attack, double back and shoot down Gault 4, leaving Gault 7 and Gault 1 on even terms, two versus two.

"Fly according to the orders." ordered Gault 1 to his only remaining wingman, his most loyal one at that.

"Roger Gault 1, I shall fly to your words." responded Gault 7 as the two took on Galm head to head, Gault 7 engaging PJ while Cipher dueled Gault 1 to the death.

They exchanged positions for a short while before the mercenaries gained the upper hand once again, pushing the two Belkan fighters back more and more. It was at this point Cipher's scowl turned into an evil grin as he watched Gault 1 pull back with his wingman to assert the situation and adapt to it accordingly.

"It's been such a long time...and now I finally get to kill you for all that you've done…_Kupchenko_." he said darkly, PJ glancing over at Cipher and wondering what he was talking about while Gault 1 seemed surprised at the threat.

"Oh? So the Demon Lord knows me? How intriguing." he replied, Cipher's mad grin only growing in size.

"But of course, considering you were the one to _raise_ me…"

"Cipher? What are you talking about?" asked PJ out of nervousness when the two aces went at each other once again, with Gault 7 surprisingly staying back and observing his flight leader.

"Raised you? What are you going on about Demon Lord?" inquired the Belkan pilot, Cipher laughing before he sucked in a breath and returned to his cold, calm and collected attitude.

"You don't remember me _doctor_? You don't remember the children your people kidnapped all those years ago? How _I_ was the first one to be taken and made a part of your sick and twisted project?! Do you?!" snarled Cipher as he riddled Gault 1's jet with bullet holes, the Belkan's eyes widening when he referred to him as doctor and how he knew so much about him.

"You...you can't be…"

"Cipher!" shouted PJ in terror, his feeling mixed about what he should do.

"Oh I am, Kupchenko. I was the one that got away, remember?"

"You...you bastard…" growled Kupchenko before Cipher further damaged his aircraft, Gault 7 finally intervening in the fight only for the mercenary to ruthlessly shoot him down.

"And now that I have you right where I want you...I'm going to enjoy watching you burn in hell!" said Cipher viciously as he fired a pair of missiles straight into Gault 1's plane, its metal frame going up in flames as a devastating explosion ripped it to pieces.

The cockpit flew away from the rest of the shattered body in a trail of smoke and Cipher watched with a mad look in his eye. After a few seconds of watching the inferno encompassing the falling wreck he remembered that PJ was there with him and he looked back at the young pilot, seeing him keep his distance from him out of fear.

"PJ-"

"Who are you?" he asked, James quickly intervening to prevent anything else bad from occurring.

"PJ, listen to me. It's a long story, but while we're on our way to Avalon, we can explain." he said to reassure PJ, who doubted the idea at first before he finally rejoined Cipher and flew out of B7R with him.

The end was approaching fast.


	22. The Valley of the Sleeping King

A/N Into the Valley of the Shadow of Death our heroes go. It's time for the end. Let's do this guys.

Chapter 21 - The Valley of the Sleeping King

_All held the finite and infinite as unrelated. None could foresee the history of the two would become one._

\- Present Day -

"Is this the final portion of the story dad?" asked Jasper, Cipher nodding a few times as he got up from his chair, stretched, and walked into the kitchen with his son hot on his heels.

"While I'm making your lunch, I'll tell it to you okay?"

"Okay!"

\- Mund Valley, Nord Belka -

\- December 31, 1995 1490 hrs -

Just like they had planned, Cipher and PJ met up with the rest of their allies at a specified rendezvous point and they moved as one towards the Avalon Dam, the Osean squadrons with them operating under a strict code of silence to tell no one of this operation. For them it was happened, but for the rest of the world...this operation had never taken place.

On the way there CIpher and James managed to explain to PJ who Cipher really was and why he held a connection with Gault 1, and after adjusting to it he had finally calmed down and returned to his normal, energetic self.

At that point James connected to everyone's HUDs and radio systems, giving them an in-flight briefing as they refueled.

"I'll transmit the latest data we've received from the Allied Forces. According to this, the dam is protected by an intensive anti-aircraft defence network. To deal with this, the Allied Squadron will draw AA fire to itself in the skies. Meanwhile, Galm team will join the Allied squad's Avalon Dam strike team and approach the target at low altitude through the canyon. That is the only chance we have of succeeding." he explained first as he highlighted the region that dam was built in and added the strike team, Galm included, at the beginning of a large canyon leading up to the dam itself.

"If you destroy the V2 launch control facility, you should be able to stop the weapon from being fired. The V2 will probably be equipped with a nuclear warhead. The destruction caused by its single warhead will most likely dwarf the damage inflicted by that tactical nuclear attack before. All the Allied Forces will be mobilized for this full-scale operation. Seems this war doesn't want to come to an end. We must stop the V2 launch! Hurry!"

"Let's do this Cipher! Lead the way!" exclaimed PJ as Cipher blasted out to the front of the pack, the mercenaries and Osean fighters joining them zooming on behind him at full speed.

\- Avalon Dam, Mund Valley -

\- 029'55'38N 234'26'03"E -

\- December 31, 1995 1500 hrs -

The skies above the dam were blanketed by allied and enemy aircraft and AA gunfire shooting upward from the dam facility below. It was as if all hell had broken loose and there was no stopping it. Cipher and PJ descended towards the valley below and sped over the small river within it on their approach route towards Avalon, the allied fighters keeping the enemy focus on them, which Cipher knew that some would not make it out alive, and he deeply appreciated they would willingly sacrifice themselves for just two mercenaries and the fate of countless others.

"Galm team, keep low to the water on your approach to Avalon. You'll be shot down if you fly high. Get to the enemy fortress. Once you're there, increase altitude and fly over the dam." reported James.

"This is PJ. If I'm with you, I know I can do it Cipher. I'll follow your lead." said PJ as they approached the first bridge in the valley, an allied squadron ahead of them slowing so they could meet.

"It's the Galm Team! We've been waiting for you! Follow us, we'll escort you to Avalon!" spoke up the flight lead of the squadron when Cipher and PJ joined their ranks.

"This is Galm 1. We appreciate your assistance." said Cipher after they met up then sped up their approach to the first bridge.

"SAM emplacements locked on to us! Firing!" said one of the Allied planes as he destroyed one of the SAMS and zoomed past the bridge, PJ following behind with another kill on an AA gun, and Cipher finishing off the last two while the other four allied escort fighters picked up the rear.

"You've passed the first bridge." said James, keeping a close eye on them from above.

"Damn, get a grip!" cursed an Osean pilot up above as the air battle intensified between the A.W.W.N.B forces and the Osean Air Force pilots.

"Calm down! Galm isn't the only team that can fight!" said another to bolster the morale of his allies.

"Our guys above are taking the heat. Don't let them down!" said one of the escort fighters when two Rafale Ms entered the canyon and approached from the front, ready to stop them in their tracks.

"They've got a lock-on! Evade!"

Cipher's reaction was too slow and while one was shot down by PJ, the second fired a missile straight at him, but one of the allied fighters took the shot and bailed out.

"Keep going! We're nearing the second bridge!" said another pilot in the strike team when the pilot that had saved Cipher bailed out.

"My left wing's hit! Sorry, Savage 4 pulling out!"

A group of four SAMs met the strike team at the second bridge and they easily dispatched them, now halfway to the dam. Unfortunately enemy resistance was getting stiffer and stiffer, and soon enough they encountered a large clearing filled with SAM units and AA guns that very nearly hounded them all to death if it weren't for Cipher's quick thinking.

"You've passed the second bridge." said James after they got past that large obstacle.

"Enemy fighters entering canyon from the front. They're Berkuts." said PJ as four enemy radar hits entered the canyon and headed straight for them.

"We'll handle them! You guys keep going!" shouted one of the escort fighters as two of them dropped back to engage the Berkuts while Cipher, PJ and the last remaining escort fighter approached the third bridge.

"This is Joker 4, I'm bailing out!"

"Joker 3's hit! Eight planes left!"

"Gizmo 2, hang in there! It won't be long until Galm Team takes out the V2!" shouted an Osean pilot in the skies above.

"Domino 2's down, seven planes left."

The final bridge appeared around the corner and they blew past it without destroying any of the defensive emplacements, more fighters approached from the back this time to initiate a pincer maneuver on the strike team with the Berkuts already approaching them from their direct front.

"Galm Team, you're the only ones who can penetrate Avalon! I'll be watching from up above!" shouted the Osean pilot before he licked his lips and set his mind.

"Wait, don't!" shouted Cipher, but it was too late.

The Osean pilot escorting them turned around and and shot down one of the enemy Berkuts pursuing them before, to Cipher and PJs horror, he smashed his plane into the second Berkut and sacrificed himself to help them reach Avalon.

"Dammit...! Come on Cipher, we have no time to lose!" growled PJ as he sped up in his F-15, Cipher not too far behind as they destroyed the four Berkuts meant to block their path and reached the end of the valley and saw it, the large wall that was the Avalon Dam Complex.

"Two planes made it through!" shouted an Allied pilot from above after making a glance at the radar.

"Who made it through? Galm?"

"IFF confirms it as Galm. They've made it to Avalon!"

"We're gonna stop this V2 no matter what. I never want to see that barren land again." said PJ as gunfire from the gun towers positioned around the complex started to whiz past them.

"V2 is ready for liftoff. Beginning countdown. 5 minutes to V2 launch." reported the flight director within the dam's inner facilities.

"*This place...I'm gonna make sure no one will ever be able to use it again."

"Cipher, you take care of the V2, I'll handle things up here." said PJ after taking out one of the dam's gun towers.

"Roger. Good luck PJ. Remember you've still got a girlfriend to get back to." replied back Cipher with a chuckle.

"Heh, yeah. You too Cipher."

"Take out the launch control devices before barriers close up and cover their facilities. There are three launch control devices positioned at the base of the dam. Destroy them all!" ordered James as Cipher started to climb high into the air.

"Roger that Eagle Eye. Let's do this!" smirked Cipher before he dove back down towards the dam and flew through one of the open barriers towards the first V2 control device.

"Phase 1 is proceeding smoothly. Four minutes to V2 launch.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." he growled as he locked onto the lock devices protecting the V2 launch control devices and destroyed them all with one volley of XAGM missiles.

"Initiate anti-air fire! Light up the sky with flames! Show them what Avalon is all about!" yelled one of the A.W.W.N.B soldiers from the gun towers guarding Avalon, the allied forces and PJ having started to attack the facility itself after their air forces were wiped out.

Cipher blew past the destroyed lock cuffs and he sent a wave of fear through the shockwave from his engine blast to the soldiers within the dam itself.

"It's the Demon Lord! He's really here!"

Cipher arrived at the next group of lock joints and slowed down just enough to let go of four XAGMs that eliminated them instantly.

"All main oxygen valves are now open. V2 launch Phase Two is complete."

"Dam facility barriers are halfway closed, move it Galm Team!" urged James.

"Phase Two complete, moving to Phase Three. Three minutes to V2 launch."

"We have to stop them from launching the V2. I can't let them destroy the world!" said PJ as he abandoned the assault on the surface and flew into the tunnels within the dam from the other side to attack the lock joints at the last area.

"Fox 2!" he said as he destroyed two of the lock joints, Cipher destroying the other two as they flew past each other.

PJ continued down the path Cipher just came from and approached the middle section of the tunnel

"Turbo fuel pump is running smoothly. V2 launch Phase Three is complete."

"Phase Three complete. Moving onto next phase!"

"Shit!" cursed PJ as he sped up to the next V2 control device while Cipher exited the dam tunnel and saw the barrier halfway closed.

"PJ, when you destroy that V2 launch control device get out of there. I'll be right behind you!" said Cipher before he dove back into the dam.

"Cipher, it's up to you to finish off the V2! Don't let it end like this!" said James, Cipher picking up his speed as he neared the V2 control device.

"V2 Launch Phase Four complete. Moving onto final phase."

"Phase Four complete, countdown is normal. 1 minute to V2 Launch, begin pre-launch checks."

"Cipher, destroy the V2! You're our only hope!"

PJ made it to the middle section and fired a missile at the now revealed V2 launch control device, destroying it and setting the Avalon dam staff's plans to launch in for a loop.

"Our facilities have been damaged! I'm detaching a module section!"

Cipher sped past the flaming wreckage and zoomed through the tunnel, passing by the facility PJ destroyed while said pilot prayed for Cipher above the dam with the rest of the surviving allied forces.

The clock struck 30 seconds.

"Make it in time!" growled Cipher as he ducked and weaved through the tunnel for the final V2 launch control device.

"Our facilities have suffered additional damage! We've lost the stabilizer and gyro systems!"

"Dammit! Kill that Demon Lord!" snarled the flight director, multiple enemy signatures appeared around the last target.

A ring of Belkan ZSU-23-4 Shika mobile AA units had gathered around the last V2 control device for a last ditch attempt to stop Cipher, but even that won't stand in his way.

"10, 9, 8…"

"Make it!" yelled Cipher as he swung around the corner and as soon as he got a lock on, he fired a single missile.

"5...4...3...2...1…"

The V2 Control facility went up in flames and Cipher blew out of the tunnel and into the air, a massive explosion following behind him as the V2's launch was permanently stopped as a result of the final control system being destroyed.

"We did it! We stopped the V2 launch!" cheered PJ as he flew upwards towards Cipher as the allied forces started to retreat and snow started to fall from the sky.

"We're confirming the situation. Cipher, PJ, fly away from the dam and standby." ordered James before going silent.

They decided to make one final sweep over the dam before returning home with the others. This was a fatal mistake.

"Now that the war's over, I've got a girlfriend back at the base as you already know." said PJ as he flipped over Cipher's plane to fly on his right wing while Cipher himself was wiping the massive amount of sweat off his brow.

"I'm gonna propose to her when I get back. I even bought flowers!"

"Warning, unknown target approaching at high speed. Break! Break!" warned James suddenly before a beam of red energy shot out at Cipher, who was unable to react quick enough to it since he had dropped his guard.

In that short window of time, PJ made a split-second decision.

"_I'm sorry Carol...I guess I won't be coming back to you after all…_"

"Agh!" he grunted as he swerved his plane sharply to the left out in front of Cipher's Morgan, his eyes widening in growing horror as he saw the event unfold before him in slow motion.

"Dammit!" cursed PJ before the laser sliced clean through the cockpit of the plane, an explosion of smoke and oil splattering all over Cipher's of plane as PJs jet fell past him towards the ground in a flaming wreck.

Cipher didn't even blink as the shock of PJ dying before his very eyes took over his body, his hands shaking on the flight stick in utter terror. He sat there for a few seconds, unsure of what to do, before the terror swimming through his body turned to boiling rage once he spotted the unknown fighter approaching him. It looked exactly like his plane, only mounted in the upper midsection of the plane was a bulky pod of some sorts, but the thing that stood out to most to him was the blood red right wing it bore.

"So, have you found a reason to fight yet? _Buddy_?"


	23. Zero

A/N My favorite boss fight in all of Ace Combat. Of all time.

Chapter 22 - Zero

_Without beginning or end, the ring stretches into the infinite_

There were no words that could describe how Cipher felt right now. His wingman, the young and energetic mercenary pilot Patrick "PJ" James Beckett, had been killed before his very eyes. His girlfriend will never be able to see him again, and the pain and sorrow that came with the very thought of telling her that PJ had died was already bearing down on him.

This all changed, however when he spotted the aircraft that had committed the unthinkable act. A white body, a blood red wing. Terror turned to rage, and Cipher's jaw muscles clenched and he snarled when the pilot revealed himself to him through the very moniker that had established their friendship so long ago.

"So, have you found a reason to fight yet? _Buddy_?"

"Larry…" growled Cipher as his former wingman approached him for the first time in several months.

With his arrival this meant that the battle was not over just yet. It sure as hell wasn't over yet.

"Confirmed reactivation of nuclear silo. Galm team, continue your mission. Engage. We're analyzing the situation." ordered James as Cipher fired four XMAA missiles at Larry, the latter dodging it quickly before the same red laser from before that shot down PJ emerged from the weapon pod mounted on his plane, slicing through the air like a knife.

"Here comes the snow…" trailed off Larry as the laser faded away and Cipher chased after him at high speeds, the two of them dancing through the air in their fighter jets.

"Shoot down the enemy. I'll run a plane analysis and fill you in ASAP!" said James as Cipher launched two missiles at Larry's plane that hit him, visibly not doing that much damage.

"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible...I bet you do too, Buddy." said Larry venomously, Cipher snarling again in anger as he shot the laser again, forcing him to break from the chase and avoid its deadly arc.

"You have no fucking right to call me Buddy after all of this...Larry, you bastard! What you did to Lumen, to Valais! TO PJ! I'LL KILL YOU!" he snarled as he resumed the chase as soon as the laser faded away and fired four consecutive XMAAs again, this time three of them connecting while the other lost track.

He managed to fire off another missile and it hit its mark, an explosion flowing out from Larry's plane as the laser weapon pod was blown off from his plane, his signature on Cipher's HUD disappearing momentarily.

"Phase one analysis complete. Transmission from enemy craft detected. He's controlling the V2 launch!" informed Larry while Cipher scanned the sky around him for Larry's plane.

All of a sudden his Morgan's missile alert sirens rang in his ear and he quickly swerved right, narrowly avoiding a missile and Larry as he zoomed past him.

"Can you see any borders from here? What has borders given us? We're going to start over from scratch. That's what V2 is for." said Larry as Cipher chased after him once again, landing two missile hits before a particularly large missile lanced out from his plane and exploded right beside Cipher, stretching out into a huge ball of fire that he barely managed to avoid.

"_Dammit...burst missiles?!_" he thought as he continued to chase after Larry over the skies of Avalon, the snow starting to fall more heavily.

"It's not over Buddy. This is where it all starts. You know what I'm talking about, right?" asked Larry, Cipher trying hard to control the animosity he's directing at his former friend.

He failed.

"Shut up! You killed PJ!" he yelled back as he fired another missile at Larry, hitting him again before he launched another burst missile, forcing Cipher to evade the massive fireball.

"There's no mercy to war. People live and people die, that's all there is to it."

"Fuck you!" bellowed Cipher as he struck Larry another time and blasted off his burst missiles, rendering him to the only missiles he had left, standard AIM-9 Sidewinders.

That's when the tables turned against Cipher once again.

"It's time." said Larry before he flipped a switch in his cockpit and down below, a missile silo slid open and a massive missile shot out from the silo and raced upward into the sky.

"Dammit! Confirmed launch of V2!" cursed James, Cipher watching in terror as the missile rose higher and higher into the sky, its target already set in its guidance system.

"Too bad Buddy...this twisted game needs to be reset." said Larry with a scowl as he flew straight at Cipher. "We'll start over from zero with this V2 and entrust the future to the next generation." Cipher's hands tightened around the flightstick as he faced the oncoming fighter Larry flew, his instincts kicking in for the the missile rose higher and higher into the sky. This was the final fight for the fate of millions, the Demon Lord of the Round Table versus Solo Wing Pixy…and only one of them was going to walk away.

"This is AWACS, listen up Galm 1. We've completed analysis of the enemy craft. Codenamed "Morgan", this plane is protected by an ECM defense system. Its only weak point is in the front air intakes. You'll have to attack it from head on. Go, take down Morgan, you're the only one who can stop him. Demon Lord of the Round Table, I pray for your success."

"Roger." growled Cipher as he picked up his speed, Larry appearing directly in front of him on his HUD.

"You and I are opposite sides of the same coin. When we face each other, we will finally see our true selves." said Larry as the two of them engaged in aerial jousting, the two aces firing two missiles at each other, Cipher barrel rolling out of the way to avoid the missiles while Larry did the same, the two pilots racing away from each other.

"There may be a resemblance, but we will never face the same direction."

Cipher made a high G turn and sped back towards Larry as the latter performed the same maneuver, the two running at each other again and launching more missiles. Cipher managed to dodge the two Larry had fired while Larry himself dodged one and the other struck his plane in the front air intakes, making it start to trail smoke from one of the engines.

"V2 reentry in 4 minutes!" informed Eagle Eye, Cipher stepping up his efforts.

"Try again from head on!" spat out Larry as the explosion had jarred his body and made him clamp his teeth down onto his tongue, blood starting to trickle down his chin.

They circled back around again for another pass at each other, the two aces locking onto the other before Larry yelled, "Fire away coward!"

Cipher and him pressed the trigger button at the exact same time, their missiles lancing out from each other, only Cipher scored the final hit that made Larry's right engine explode.

"Come on!" he yelled as he sped at Cipher in an attempt to ran him at full speed.

Cipher turned his plane on its side and the two aces flew past each other, side by side and able to see each other from their cockpits, before Larry's plane spun out of control and ripped apart from another explosion, the wreckage falling down towards the ground below.

Up above the V2 missile flew for a few more seconds until it erupted into a massive ball of white light, many miles long, that lit up the sky like a sun, Cipher being able to see Eagle Eye's silhouette as he flew in front of the massive sun like explosion.

"Mission accomplished Cipher. Come on, let's go back home. We wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting for you."

Cipher turned his plane around and looked down at a column of smoke rising up from one of the hills overlooking the dam complex, his heart constricting when PJs sacrifice came to mind.

"I'll be back. I swear." he whispered before he blasted away from the dreadful place and made way for Ustio with James up above.

With the destruction of the V2 missile and the defeat of the A World With no Boundaries, the war had finally and truly come to a close at a terrifying cost. It took a long while, but Cipher finally made it back to Valais Air Force Base and landed his jet with a large group of onlookers awaiting his presence.

He looked out from behind the tinted glass canopy of his jet and noticed PJ's girlfriend standing next to Liz at the head of the crowd, his spirits sinking even further when she noticed that PJ was not behind him.

He hopped out of his jet and let the ground crew take it away, the group of mercenaries walking up to him with confused expressions.

"Where's PJ?" asked Crow 2 while looking up into the sky to try and get a glimpse of his aircraft.

"He's not coming back…" said Cipher as he clenched his open fist, his entire body shuddering as sadness overtook him.

"What?"

Cipher raised his head up and showed them all the tears that began to develope at the corners of his eyes. "PJ's not coming back...he's dead. Killed over the Avalon Dam by an enemy fighter that ambushed us."

The group was left speechless, but no one was more shocked then PJ's girlfriend, who stood rigidly still with her eyes wide open. Cipher approached her specifically and dropped his flight helmet so he could hug her tightly.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...it's my fault that he's dead. I let my guard down and he sacrificed himself to save me…" he said through butchered breaths, Liz resting a hand on his shoulder while PJ's girlfriend returned the hug.

"It's okay...he died regaining the peace he desired. He used to talk about attaining peace all the time, and now that it's finally happened...I'm sure that he's content."

"He wanted...to propose to you…" said CIpher, her eyes closing as she felt her own heart tighten in sorrow.

They stood there for a few seconds before Cipher finally let go of her and wiped his eyes, Liz wrapping her arms around his right arm and standing there with her head resting on his shoulder while Crow 1 and 2 were still left speechless.

"I can't believe it...the kid's gone…" mumbled Crow 2 in disbelief before PJ's girlfriend smiled and wiped a tear from her eye as the sun appeared from behind the clouds above and cast its rays down onto the base.

"I'll take you to him. Where he went down. Just tell me when." said Cipher to her with a deadset look in his eyes that meant he would.

She nodded before she walked away, James taking his time at walking over to Cipher and Liz. He put his hands into his pockets and sighed deeply as he looked up at the brightly shining sun, smiling a little at the warmth it gave him.

"It's finally over, huh."

"Yeah…" said Cipher when he looked up with Liz as well.

"What are you gonna do?" he asked with a glance at his friend.

"I'll stay here. I've grown quite attached to this place." said James as he glanced around at the air base in its entirety.

"What about you?" he asked, Cipher's smile fading.

"I'm leaving."

His response surprised both James and Liz, being that it was something neither of them suspected.

"What do you mean by that Cipher?" asked James.

"I've got too many bad memories...I want to go someplace else for a while."

"And where exactly are you going?" asked Liz with a glance up at Cipher, who grinned back at her.

"I was thinking about Usea. Care to join me?" he asked, LIz giggling before she nodded.

"So that's it, huh? Giving up the title of Demon Lord and letting the name fade into legend?" asked James as the two walked off towards the hangar where his plane was kept at.

"Sometimes that's the best thing to do when you're as good as me James. I'll be sure to write." he replied over his shoulder, James chuckling to himself before he turned away from the two and looked back up at the sun.

"Heh...what a year it's been…"

He stood there for a few minutes, observing the sun slowly setting in the distance ad casting brilliant reds, oranges and yellows out across the Tyrann Mountain. He heard the roar of a jet's engines and he looked over his shoulder, smiling as he watched Cipher with PJ's girlfriend in the secondary seat in his Morgan fly down the runway. Liz in PJ's old Falcon rushed down after him and took off, the two flying off into the sunset.

\- Avalon Dam, Mund Valley -

\- January 1st, 1996 1000 hrs -

Cipher and Liz led the way through the dense forest surrounding the Avalon Dam, which by now had been refilled after the Belkan government had retaken control of it. PJ's girlfriend, whose name was Carol they had found out, stayed close by as they approached the dam's artificial lake. In Cipher's arms was a massive piece of metal, a fragment of PJ's F-15C, while Liz herself carried a bouquet of flowers. They were purple, PJ's favorite color.

It took them a few minutes but they finally reached a shaded clearing next to the lake and in silence Cipher planted the metal fragment into the soft dirt and leaned it up against one of the trees, making sure that the faded and slightly scorched Galm insignia looked back at them. Liz handed the flowers to Carol and stepped back as she approached the makeshift hollow grave, they couldn't find his body among the wreckage, and laid the flowers before the metal headstone.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked back to stand beside Cipher and Liz, the three standing silent as they payed their respects to the memory of Patrick James Beckett.

"_We did it PJ...we finally won the peace you so desired. We won._"


	24. The Knights of the Round Table (Part 2)

A/N PJ...you will never be forgotten. The feels are real! Now it's time for the falling action and finally the end of this story and the continuation on to Ace Combat X

Chapter 23 - The Knights of the Round Table (Part 2)

\- Avalon Dam, Mund Valley -

\- November 30th, 2005 1234 hrs -

A helicopter flew slowly over the docile dam, the pilot and the only passenger inside observing the beauty of the forest surrounding the pristine lake. He could see, however, the marks of war still present on the dam's walls with his video recorder.

'So this is the hidden truth behind the war, and this is where his trail ends as well. The impact of the seven nuclear detonations on the world's psyche was great. Those who witnessed the carnage went on to organize a global arms reduction. Perhaps they were admonishing themselves.'

A few minutes later, after the helicopter had dropped him off atop the wall of the dam, he walked out of the forest into a small, shaded clearing right beside the lake. He was astonished when he discovered a scrap of metal set up like a gravemarker, and even more surprised when he noticed the almost faded but still visible insignia of a squadron that used a devil hound as their marker.

It must've recently been visited as well, for there was a fresh bouquet of flowers resting before the metal shard.

'Furthermore, the existence of V2 was concealed. The events that occurred after the war faded from people's memories...and these men were also sealed away from history. Maybe this was one path to achieve peace.'

'And here...the curtain falls on this story. However, that does not mean their own stories came to an end.'

\- A Pilot that Lives by Pride -

"A nation is comprised of the individuals who live in its borders. It can only become a nation when it is supported by those individuals." continued on Detlef. "But mercenaries who cross lines and allegiance for money have no country to protect."

He looked away from the camera and rested his hands in his lap, sighing somewhat.

"They only fight for their own power and fame. But if that was the case, then why did I lose to him? Tch...Maybe not having the burden of a nation allows you to fly faster."

\- The Strategist -

"War is something fought on the desk of politicians. As long as they win in the end, that's all that matters. But for us, it's a matter of survival." explained Bernhard. "In order to survive, you need to analyze the situation in an instant. It's the same as living in a city."

He wiped his hands with a napkin and rested his arm on the backrest of the booth, relaxing into the plush seat.

"The rules of this little city apply just as well to that wide open sky. That guy had the same feel about him as this city."

\- A Man who Upholds Honor -

"I fly under the code of knighthood." said Dimitri with a smile, obviously holding a sense of pride behind his words. "It's no surprise since we soldiers are the descendants of the Belkan Knights. We protect the meek and give our lives for honor. But that does not mean we are generous…sinc generosity will cost our lives."

He adjusted his position in the chair he was sitting in a smirked a little as he thought of the adversary he once fought all those years ago.

"If the pilot survived to the end of the war, he must've carried out these rules."

\- The Fallen -

"I bailed out and landed here. The captain was gone. I've lived a comfortable life since than...and I probably have him to thank for that."

The bells from the church tower nearby began to ring, spreading its glorious sound all across the city of Directus and reminding the populace of the freedom they have had for quite some time. Altman however cringed slightly at it as the memories from his past resurfaced as a result of hearing the bells.

"They ring the bells here at dusk to honor the liberation of the capital. It signals peace, but to me...they are the sounds of death."

\- The Bringer of Death -

"Is the man still alive?" asked Dominic after the question was spoken to him, his eyes blinking a few times before he leaned back and placed his hands into his pockets.

"Thought I guess it's hard for bad guys like us to die. The real heroes always manage to die first. But guys like him, Solo Wing, and me, we live the rest of our lives in hell."

He stood there contemplating for a bit before a small smile spread across his lips and he chuckled.

"But, then again, being alive is proof that we were good."

\- A Man who Lived for Battle -

"When a fighter plane goes down, that's the end. It disintegrates into pieces incinerated beyond recognition. It's a scary thought." said Erich, a grin emerging after he had paused his sentence. "But it also makes you feel *alive."

He switched legs while he sat on the desk and glanced over his shoulder to watch as one of the jets at the airport took off, its massive airframe lifting into the sky with the help of its large, aerodynamic wings. He turned back after a few seconds of watching it fly with a slight sense of longing to fly in combat in his eyes.

"I left the military, but I still fly that sky. But...it's pretty lonely up there all by myself. I'd love to fly with him again someday…"

\- The Reborn Veteran -

"Hatred cannot be the only motivation for war. It only brings about more pointless deaths." stated Kellerman flatly, his blank expression hiding any emotion he harbored about the subject. "I lost most of my students. They were all my children, my flesh and blood. I will never overcome that grief."

He adjusted the towel hanging around his neck and shuffled his feet a few times to get the feeling back in them after standing all day and sighed.

"I'll probably never teach anyone again, nor will I ever go up in the sky again. I've entrusted everything I know to a new generation. I'll just look on from here."

\- Interview #08 -

\- A Woman of Undying Faith -

\- Gran Rugido, Sapin -

\- October 20th, 2005 -

"Marcela Vasquez. The Espada Team's number two, and former member of the Sapin Air Force 9th Air and Land Division, 11th Tactical Fighter Squadron. She is thought to be a survivor of the Coup D'etat Squadron. She currently earns a living as a dancer."

Marcela sat on a barstool in one of her favorite bars in Gran Rugido wearing a black silk dress and a flower in her hair. She had her left elbow resting on the bar while her other hand was placed on her right though, her expression somewhat depressed.

"If the Demon Lord hadn't appeared, our lives might have been different. For me, it wasn't about flying or ideals. Most of all, it was about him, my flight lead." she said while staring directly into the camera.

"Our mission was to escort the Heavy Command Cruiser that was to act as transportation for the organization. And the Demon Lord appeared, as if to block our paths." she continued before she looked away and shuddered. "I will never forget his overwhelming power. One by one, my comrades were shot down, and then the mother bird we were supposed to protect…"

She uncomfortably shifted her position on the chair and rested both hands in her laps while she remembered her flight lead, Espada 1, and what they had done after they were both shot down.

"We survived after that fight. We left our organization and returned to the ground together. But those whose hearts are in the sky will always return to the sky. He was one of them, and so he left, even though his wounds had yet to heal. And he died there...never to return to me. But I don't blame anyone. The regret and suffering that remained after that battle...were also what he had given me. They're among the precious few things he left behind."

\- Interview #09 -

\- The Witness -

\- Oured, Osea -

\- October 31st, 2005 -

"Anthony Palmer. Former lieutenant of the Osean Air Force, now Air Defense Force, 8th Air Division, 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Sorcerer". He's been missing for some time, along with Captain Bristow of the same unit, since the decisive Battle of Waldreich. Captain Bristow is rumored to be one of the founding members of "A World With no Boundaries". Palmer's ties with the captain have led many to believe that he was also one of the terrorist organization's founders. He currently works for an insurance company based in Oured, the capital city of Osea."

"Heh, "Demon Lord" was right. Everything he touched fell apart. I thought I was watching magic." chuckled Anthony as he rested his arms on his desk.

"When I was in the military, they called me an ace too. I got medals for my actions on numerous battlefields. I'd never felt fear toward an opponent. The same went for my ideals. I wasn't afraid to take on even an entire country."

He blinked a few times and he apprehensively rubbed his hands together while shifting his weight in his chair, looking at some unspecified point in the room.

"But when I was fighting him...something felt different. At first, I didn't know what it was. It wasn't until I noticed my hands shaking on the flight stick that I realized...it was fear." he said with a stone cold expression, as if the very word gave him chills. "It's embarrassing, but once I felt that, I couldn't fly anymore. I felt guilt towards my companions at the time. There's always a war somewhere and I'm sure he's on some battlefield somewhere fighting even now. He'll always have a place to live."

\- Interview #10 -

\- A Revolutionary -

\- The Osea Federal Prison of Land Ford -

\- November 11th, 2005 -

"Joshua Bristow. Former captain of the Osean Air Force 8th Air Division, 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron "Wizard". His actions during the Belka War are surrounded in mystery, and he is rumored to be one of the founders of "A World With no Boundaries". His whereabouts were unknown after the decisive Battle of Waldreich, but several years later he resurfaced later while trying to instigate terrorist plots against the country of Osea. Today he is serving time in prison."

The man known as Joshua Bristow picked at his fingernails from behind iron bars in his cell at Osea's most secure prison, his cell being among the "Dangerously Unstable" criminals house at the building. He obviously hadn't shaved in a while and he had a sizable beard growing.

"This darkness and that little window are my entire world now. I'm actually rather fond of it. The darkness envelops me in a borderless world...a world with no boundaries."

He smiled a little while his left eye twitched slightly, this being his sixth year behind bars. He wasn't going to be there for long, however, since he had attempted to commit acts of terrorism against the Osean Federation and as such he had received the death penalty. Today was the last day on his six year probation, and as soon as the interview was finished he was going to be injected with lethal chemicals that will make his death quick and painless.

"He was not the reason we were unable to change the world. No matter what the desired outcome is, the world can still change as long as people expand their knowledge and desire change. Today's world, has already changed from what it was back then."

\- Interview #11 -

\- The Guardian -

\- Holtz Public Cemetery, Nord Belka -

\- October 25th, 2005 -

"Anton Kupchenko, thought to be the head director of the terrorist organization "A World WIth no Boundaries". Was formerly part of the Belkan Air Force 18th Air Division, 5th Tactical Fighter Squadron. In his glory days, he was a Belkan ace, and later became head of their department of weapons development and technology, but the military sent him back out as a commander. In March of 1995, he suddenly disappeared along with his platoon, and was never accounted for after that. The Belkan Air Force announced that he had died in combat. Several months after that, his corpse was found close to the Belkan border. The whole story is still shrouded in mystery."

It was a peaceful sunny afternoon as he walked into the cemetery and walked the tombstones, looking for a very specific one that he was told about. After a few minutes of searching he finally found it and kneeled down on the soft grass, zooming in on the small tombstone with his camera. Engraved in the stone was a name, a birthdate, and a date of death.

"_Anton Kupchenko. 1947 - 1995._"

He looked down lower and instead of just a blank face, there was instead a mysterious saying that conveyed even a larger shadow over the death of this man.

"_THE GATE TO THE NEW WORLD HAS BEEN OPENED. MY SOUL SHALL BE THE WIND THAT ENTERS THE GATE. WHEN THE SLEEPING KING AWAKES, MY BODY TOO, SHALL SURELY RISE._"

\- Final Interview -

\- A Brother in Arms -

\- The Usea Continent, Republic of Delarus -

\- August 25th, 2005 -

"Larry Foulke, also known as "Solo Wing PIxy". Galm Team's number two, and former member of the Ustio Air Force 6th Air Division, 66th Tactical Fighter Squadron. That's right. This man was his buddy...and his enemy."

Larry sat with his arm still resting on his assault rifle in the center of a trashed room filled with cracks, peeling paint and bullet holes. The continent of Usea and its inhabitants, Erusea and the FCU turned Independent State Allied Forces, were still embroiled in the Usean Continental War, and even now there were gunshots and artillery shells exploding in the distance.

"I should have died that day...but I didn't" said Larry while looking down at the ground with an empty gaze. "I dragged my wounded body and reached ground zero of the nuclear detonations."

His eyes were filled with the pain and sorrow of ages past, and he couldn't help but shudder from the sight of the nuclear explosions going off within the Waldreich Mountain range. Their devastating power had wiped out over twenty thousand people in an instant, thrusting the region into a nuclear winter.

"A barren, empty land. I felt an unbearable sadness when I witnessed that landscape. There were still people living there. They were the ones that saved me."

Larry closed his eyes and shuddered once again, the sounds of gunfire in the distance growing progressively louder and quieter at the same time as ach force battled it out. The roar of a jet engine overhead made him look out the hole in the ceiling and smirk when he spotted a blue-tinted F-22A fly off towards the battle.

"It may be true that the world has no need of borders. But would getting rid of them really change anything? The world won't change for the better unless we trust people. Trust is vital in a peaceful world. But that will never happen." he said regretfully as he grasped his assault rifle and moved it around a bit to better hold the crook of his arm.

"I'm still on the battlefield. Right now I'm near a border. I want to see for myself what borders really mean and what their volition really is...I may not find what I'm looking for but I still wanna try." he said before shrugging with a slight grin. "Anyway, that's what I've come to believe and I think that's enough."

The sounds of battle in the distance weakened and Larry glanced at the camera once again before leaning forward a little and staring at the man controlling the piece of equipment.

"Will he see this video? IF you do meet him, give him a message for me." he asked before he looked at the camera and smiled as it zoomed in on him.

"Yo Buddy. Still alive? And thanks friend...See you again."

'The Demon Lord of the Round Table. A warrior who soared through the Belkan War, inspiring both fear and admiration. His presence filled the skies for but a few short months before he disappeared. Apart from that, nothing is known about him. I was never able to find out what kind of a person he really was. But whenever they talked about him, they always had a slight smile on their faces. That, perhaps, may be my answer.'


	25. Epilogue

A/N The final chapter, or I should be saying the epilogue. It was a pleasure to write this all for you guys, and be sure to leave your final reviews if you want to. This has been DemonLordGalm, and I will see you all in the next story "Ace Combat X - The Southern Cross". Stay tuned!

Epilogue

\- Present Day -

\- April 9th, 2016 1145 hrs -

"That was the best story ever!" said Jasper with the biggest smile imaginable, Cipher chuckling as he wrapped up his tale of the Belkan War and put it to rest.

"I'm glad you liked it bud. How about you and I go out into town and go to your favorite restaurant?"

"Papa Pilloci's? Really?!"

"Of course." replied Cipher, Jasper quickly bolting around him and sprinting up the stairs two at a time so he could get dressed.

A couple of minutes later Cipher pulled out of the driveway with Jasper strapped into the backseat and drove out of their neighborhood, making way for the downtown area of Anfang. The sun was shining brightly above and CIpher couldn't help but roll down his window and take in a deep breath of fresh air.

After taking a series of turns they arrived at Jasper's favorite place to eat, Papa Pilloci's Pizzeria, and proceeded to find a place to park. Once they found a good spot he pulled in and turned off the camaro's engine, climbing out with his son and walking towards the door. Once they walked inside however, the mood quickly changed from happy to dread.

All of the people inside the pizzeria had their eyes glued on the T.V, the news relaying an international broadcast from the White House in Osea being presented by President Harling himself, the other world leaders sitting in chairs behind him with grim expressions.

"What's going on?" asked Cipher as he held Jasper's hand, the owner of the shop turning and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"You're not gonna like this mate." he said before he picked up the T.V remote and turned up the volume so everybody could hear every single word.

"We are broadcasting live from the White House here in the capital of Osea as President Harling has called for an international broadcast of the utmost importance. Let's listen in." said the BNN, or Belkan News Network, reporter on the scene.

"I have gathered you all here today to address a very dire issue of the utmost importance and seriousness. A few days ago a stand-alone Jupiter Trojan, named Polyphemus, not discovered until then, was spotted by scientists at the Riass Space Center based in Usea at the Comona Islands." he began, Cipher still not knowing where he was going with it before he noticed some of the more elderly folks in the restaurant tense up and go rigid.

"What occurred next was that Polyphemus had smashed into one of Jupiter's Moons, known as 1986VG1 "Odysseus", and as a result caused the latter to break apart into over ten thousand asteroids. According the scientists and astrologists at Riass...these asteroids are now on a direct orbital path that aligns with our planet. They have projected that it will take four years for these "Odysseus" asteroids to reach us." stated Harling grimmly, Cipher's heart skipping a beat when those words struck his ears.

"_Over ten thousand...? On a collision course with Earth?_" he thought with an overwhelming sense of dread infesting his mind and body.

Around the world those who were watching the broadcast were experiencing the same thing Cipher was. The total shock and disbelief that an event similar, or even *worse, than the Ulysses asteroid impacts back in 1999, was about to happen again in four years time.

"Yesterday the other world leaders and I were discussing plans on how to stop the meteor fragments, and we have all settled on the proposition to build six identical railgun facilities similar to the Stonehenge facility utilized during the Usean Continental War. These six installations will be larger then the original and will be collectively be known as the Stonehenge International Railgun Defense Network. We have already established locations in Osea, Emmeria, Ustio, Aurelia, Yuktobania and Usea, the latter being built overtop the original Stonehenge, as the building spots for these new railgun facilities."

"Dad…?"

Cipher looked away from the T.V screen and down at the terror-filled eyes of his son Jasper, who was grasping his hand tightly out of fear and worry.

"Are we gonna be okay?" he asked quietly, Cipher gulping when he tried to think of an answer.

"I...I don't know Jasp...I don't know."

\- City of San Salvacion, San Salvacion, Usea -

A man in a business suit pulled out his keys from his pocket and fumbled around with them for a second before finally inserting them into the door and unlocking it. He pushed the door inward and set his suitcase on the floor close by, placing his keys on a small table to his right on the way in. As he stood back up he stopped when the sound of his T.V hit his eardrum, alongside a sudden chill in the air.

He jumped when the door shut behind him and made a loud bang, its echo resonating off the walls of the hallway and into the living room farther down where the noise had come from.

He waited a few seconds before proceeding slowly down the hallway, being sure to make as little sound as possible on the tiles. When he reached the corner leading into the living room he slowly peeked out and rested his hand on the wall, letting out a small sigh of relief when he discovered the room to be empty.

All of a sudden a knife was held to his throat and his eyes nearly jumped out of his head when a man came around the corner and pressed a finger to lips, telling him to be quiet.

"Scream...or I kill you." he said menacingly, the man nodding vigorously so the knife would be taken away.

The unknown man twirled it around his index finger and turned, walking into the living room and facing away from the T.V, its moving images and light illuminating his back. He seemed to wear a dark colored jacket and was leaning somewhat on a cane with his left hand. On top of his silver hair was a black top hat and he estimated the man to at least be six and half feet tall.

"Who are you?" asked the businessman, the top hat man chuckling slightly.

"That doesn't matter...Right now what matters is that you have something I require. That suitcase of yours? Bring it to me. Now." he said, the businessman gulping when the man's detached voice sent chills up his spine. "And if you think about running, just know that wherever you go, wherever you hide...I will find you."

The businessman gulped again and he quickly retreated to grab his briefcase and return it to the living room, the tophat man extending out his other hand as if waiting for him to hand it over personally. Once he felt its handle hit his gloved palm hand he brought it around and set it down on the couch beside him, chuckling once again before in a flash he flung the knife hanging from his index finger down and into the businessman's foot, piercing the leather and embedding its tip through his skin and into the floor.

He cried out in agony as he collapsed to one knee and grasped his foot, the top hat man's chilling laughter growing in volume as he grasped his cane and slowly pulled back, unsheathing a sword connected to the handle and discarding its sheath.

"You asked who I was?" he asked as he gazed over the polished blade without turning. "I'll go ahead and tell you, since your usefulness to me has just run out."

Slowly he turned, making sure the light from the T.V would illuminate his face when he made direct eye contact with the businessman. He was horrified at who this man was. His right eye was hidden behind a monocle of sorts, but his other eye was crimson red and swimming with malicious intent. The most disturbing attributes the top hat man possessed however was the vicious looking burn scar covering a portion of the left side of his face...and spanning quite literally from cheek to cheek was a horrific glasgow smile held together with three stitches on each side.

"Just call me Jack."

As the businessman frantically struggled to pull the knife out from his foot Jack approached him and reared his arm back, stabbing his cane sword through the man's shoulder and grinning madly when let out a scream. He twisted the sword, causing even more pain to course through his victim's body before he pressed his foot up against his chest and pushed him back, reaching back pulling out three more knives from a pouch hanging from his belt.

"Hold still…" he said with light-hearted tone as if he were a doctor, the businessman's heart nearly beating out of his chest when he watched Jack grasp one of the knives and hold it dangerously close over one of his hands.

A few minutes later of torturous pain Jack stood back up to his full height and marvelled at his handiwork, the businessman now laying down before him at his feet with a knife forcefully stabbed through both of his feet and hands, effectively pinning him to the ground. He hummed to himself as he retrieved his cane sword's outer sheath and returned the blade to its interior, swinging it around as he brought out a fifth knife.

"Now, my dear sir…" he asked as he lowered himself down onto one knee and grinned with obvious insanity as he licked the knife and held it like a surgical scalpel. "What would you like removed first? A lung? A kidney? Or how about _both_?"

\- One Hour Later -

Jack wiped his hands clean of all the blood on a towel he found in the kitchen and he returned to the living room, stepping carefully over and around his handiwork on the floor and grabbing onto the briefcase resting on the couch.

"I appreciate your time good sir." he said with a bow and the tip of his hat before he walked over to a sliding glass door and opened it, stepping out into the backyard and hopping clear over the fence without a sound.

As he was walking down the street in the quiet neighborhood, being sure to lower his head when police cars came rushing past to no doubt investigate the house he was just at, he reached into his jacket's pocket and retrieved a cellphone. He speed-dialed the first number he had in the contact list and held it up to his ear, smirking slightly as he did.

"Yes, it's me. I got what you asked for."

"And I hope you took care of the baggage?" asked the person on the other end of the connection.

"Of course...they don't call me Jack the Ripper for nothing."


	26. GO TO NEXT STORY

It is here everyone! Ace Conbat X - The Southern Cross has now been officially released!


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